Chapter 5. Enzyme Immobilization on Mesoporous Silica Supports

The applications of porous silica in biocatalysis involve enzyme (biocatalyst) immobilization on solid supports, which integrates enzymatic catalysis with heterogeneous catalysis. In this chapter, the authors outline recent advances in the area of mesoporous silica involved in enzyme immobilization development. Mesoporous silica supports provide a set of highly attractive features toward overcoming enzyme stability drawbacks both in biotechnology and biocatalysis applications. Mesoporous silica materials are structurally robust, chemically stable over a broad pH and temperature range, and benefit from flexible synthetic conditions that enable tailoring of their properties for a plethora of host–guest chemistry applications. The large surface area and the tunable pore sizes make them suitable for accommodating large biomolecules, including enzymes.