Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Surface Reactions: Bio-catalysis an Emerging
Alternative
Anil Mahapatro and Rahul Bhure
Abstract Interfacial phenomena and reactions will dominate the performance
of current micro and nano devices, which are increasingly being used in a large
number of applications in the areas of biotechnology, clinical diagnosis, food
safety testing, and environmental testing. Due to the extremely high area to
volume ratio, interfacial interactions become the dominant factor in determin-
ing the device performance in which they are being used. Self-assembled mono-
layers (SAMs) provide excellent platforms to study these interfacial reactions.
Chemical modifications of these SAMs are carried out using existing organic
methodologies. Apart from limitations due to the steric bulk of the interface
these organic techniques also have severe limitation in that they use toxic metal
catalyst and solvents and also may use high temperature and pressure in certain
reactions. This review focuses on the various organic reactions carried out on
these SAMs. Challenges and limitations of current organic reactions at surfaces
are discussed. Emerging 'green chemistry' biocatalytic techniques as an alter-
native for performing surface modifications of these SAMs are reviewed. These
biocatalytic reactions offer the potential for milder reactions conditions, avoid-
ing toxic metal catalysts and also the potential to carry these surface reactions in
solvent-less conditions. Although limited research exists in this emerging field
the potential environmental benefits warrants further work in this growing
area.
Keywords Bio-catalysis
surface reactions
self-assembled monolayers
enzyme catalysis
