Oxireductases in the Enzymatic Synthesis of Water-Soluble Conducting Polymers - Enzymatic Polymerisation - page 1

Oxireductases in the Enzymatic Synthesis
of Water-Soluble Conducting Polymers

Estibalitz Ochoteco and David Mecerreyes

Abstract This chapter reviews recent advances in the field of biocatalytic synthesis
of water-soluble conducting polymers. Biocatalysis is proposed as a versatile tool
for synthesis of conducting polymers. First, the enzymatic synthesis of conducting
polymers and its mechanism is discussed as well as the use of different type of en-
zymes. Next, we describe the use of a new bifunctional template (sodium dodecyl
diphenyloxide disulfonate) in the synthesis of polyaniline as a strategy to improve
the water solubility and electrical conductivity in the obtained polymer. The recent
development of enzyme-catalyzed polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene
(EDOT) in the presence of polystyrenesulfonate is discussed. This method results
in PEDOT materials that show an electrical conductivity of 2 10 − 3 Scm − 1 and

posses excellent film formation ability, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy
images. Finally, a simple method for immobilizing horseradish peroxidases in
the biocatalytic synthesis of water-soluble conducting polymers is presented. This
method is based on a biphasic catalytic system in which the enzyme is encap-
sulated inside the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate,
while other components remain in the aqueous phase. The enzyme is easily recov-
ered after reaction and can be reused several times.

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Keywords Conducting polymers · Enzymatic polymerization · Horseradish

peroxidase · Oxidoreductases · PEDOT · Polyaniline · Synthesis strategies

Contents

1 Introduction .................................................................................... 2

2 Peroxidases in Polymer Synthesis ............................................................ 2