Nanohybrid Enzymes - Layered Double Hydroxides: Potential Applications

Bioinorganic hybrid materials constitute a new generation of materials at the interface of biology and material science, able to display functionalities as complex as that of natural systems such as drug vectorization and delivery, molecular machinery functions or sensing properties. Among these bioinorganic structures, enzyme-clay nanohybrid compounds are under investigations for applications as biosensors or for biosynthesis applications. Due to their anionic exchange properties, wide range of chemical composition and versatile structural and textural properties, layered double hydroxides are very appropriate materials for the immobilization of biomolecules, which often bear an overall negative charge. This review focuses on the strategy of elaboration procedures of new active bioinorganic LDH-enzyme materials with potential applications in biocatalysis and for the elaboration of biosensors. Various soft chemistry processes such as adsorption, delamination/restacking and coprecipitation methods are examined. Structural and textural characterizations of the bioinorganic materials are described in order to understand the interactions between biomolecules and host structure. Bioactivity of immobilized enzymes and electrochemical performance of biosensors are also discussed in relation with the immobilization state of the enzyme.