Adsorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties of a butyl functionalized hydrophobic macroporous cryogel

Abstract

The production of polymeric monolithic structures with highly interconnected pores has attracted the attention of researchers, since developing adsorbents that allow for purifying biomolecules while maintaining their bioactivity is essential in several fields. The monoliths are versatile in their use and functionalization possibilities. A novel approach was used in the operation with butyl amine of polyacrylamide cryogels with alkyl glycidyl ether for use in hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The results of the FTIR and TGA thermogravimetric spectroscopy analyses indicated success and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirmed a macroporous structure. Values found for the swelling capacity, degree of expansion and porosity corroborated the literature and the high permeability demonstrated the ease of flow in the produced matrices. We evaluated the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the adsorbent. The Langmuir model adequately adjusted to the data obtained and non-linear van't Hoff analysis was used to determine the variation of the thermodynamic properties for the adsorption process, which occurred spontaneously (ΔGads ≤ − 20.0 kJ mol−1) for all temperatures. Weverified that the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) ranged from 696.28 to 1735.56 mg g−1. The developed matrix showed potential for application in capture processes by hydrophobic interaction.