Rotating Liquid Marble Microreactors for Enhanced Enzymatic Reactions

Droplet-based microreactors hold great promise for enzymatic reactions, but their efficiency is often hindered by static operation and poor mass transfer. This study tackles these limitations through the innovative application of dynamic rotating magnetic liquid marbles (LMs) stabilized by proteinaceous colloidosomes. The colloidosomes feature an outer layer of densely-packed hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and an inner zein layer that integrates magnetic particles and enzymes, enhancing hydrophobicity, magnetic responsiveness, and enzyme immobilization. As proof of the concept, glucose oxidase (GOx) is encapsulated within the colloidosomes and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) inside the LMs, respectively. The results demonstrate that the rotating LMs significantly accelerated enzymatic cascade reactions when exposed to an external magnetic field. Moreover, by applying this approach to biphasic enzymatic systems, positioning the LMs at the water/toluene interface yields a 2.2-fold increase in conversion rate compared to static systems, as shown in lipase-driven esterification reactions. This advancement not only broadens the potential applications of LMs but also offers a promising strategy for enhancing catalytic processes in heterogeneous systems.