Silver ion-catalysis synthesized protein imprinted polyacrylamide/calcium alginate hydrogel film with high adsorption, recognition, and antibacterial properties

Abstract

To address critical challenges of protein template denaturation caused by intense exothermicity and prolonged reaction time when using the traditional protein molecular imprinting technology, a novel imprinting strategy was proposed. This study successfully achieved the rapid and controllable in-situ synthesis of polyacrylamide/calcium alginate (PAM/CaAlg) hydrogel films under near-ambient temperature conditions, employing a silver ions (Ag⁺)-catalyzed ammonium persulfate–sodium bisulfite redox system with acrylamide (AM) as the monomer, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the crosslinker, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the template. The optimized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) films demonstrated substantial enhancement of the BSA adsorption capacity following the removal of templates, reaching a maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity (Q_e) of 50.4 mg·g⁻¹ while maintaining a stable imprinting efficiency (IE) of 2.7. Competitive adsorption experiments verified the exceptional selectivity of MIP films towards the BSA recognition. Additionally, the incorporation of Ag⁺ ions endowed both MIP and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) films with remarkable antibacterial properties. This work establishes a straightforward and effective methodology for developing advanced protein-imprinted hydrogels that simultaneously exhibit high adsorption capacity, superior selectivity, and significant antibacterial activity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

protein molecular imprinting / silver ion catalysis / PAM/CaAlg hydrogel film / specific adsorption / specific selectivity / antibacterial property

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