Graphene Oxide-Activated Cellular Ceramic Composite Monoliths for Protein Purification

Abstract

Cellular Al₂TiO₅–Al₂O₃ composite ceramic monoliths were prepared and tested as a potential stationary phase for process chromatography. The material was characterized by measuring the pore size distribution and hydraulic permeability. The interstitial porosity, the axial dispersion coefficient, and the height equivalent to a theoretical plate were calculated by pulse tests under nonbinding conditions. The surface of the ceramic material was activated with graphene oxide and then functionalized with Cibacron Blue F3GA. The dynamic binding capacity of the functionalized columns was measured in chromatographic cycles by using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the target molecule. The experiments showed that the proposed monoliths have a well-defined porous structure, leading to particularly interesting flow properties for chromatographic bioseparations, such as very high permeability and convection, as the main mass transport phenomenon. These results are encouraging for a possible future optimization of the functionalization procedure toward the development of efficient convective media for protein purification.