Complexes of Magnetic Nanoparticles with Cellulose Nanocrystals as Regenerable, Highly Efficient, and Selective Platform for Protein Separation

We present an efficient approach to develop cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) hybrids with magnetically responsive Fe ₃O ₄ nanoparticles that were synthesized using the (Fe ³⁺/Fe ²⁺) coprecipitation. After 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-catalyzed oxidation of CNC, carbodiimide (EDC/NHS) was used for coupling amine-containing iron oxide nanoparticles that were achieved by dopamine ligand exchange (NH ₂-Fe ₃O ₄ NPs). The as-prepared hybrids (Fe ₃O ₄@CNC) were further complexed with Cu(II) ions to produce specific protein binding sites. The performance of magnetically responsive Cu-Fe ₃O ₄@CNC hybrids was assessed by selectively separating lysozyme from aqueous media. The hybrid system displayed a remarkable binding capacity with lysozyme of 860.6 ± 14.6 mg/g while near full protein recovery (∼98%) was achieved by simple elution. Moreover, the regeneration of Fe ₃O ₄@CNC hybrids and efficient reutilization for protein separation was demonstrated. Finally, lysozyme separation from matrices containing egg white was achieved, thus revealing the specificity and potential of the presented method.