(383o) Application of Metal Organic Frameworks in the Fractionation and Isolation of Biomolecules

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be used to separate biomolecules, with their functionality tuned by choices in composition, shape, charge, particle size, and physical characteristics. This poster will describe our efforts to understand the feasibility and capability of MOFs for bioseparation applications that include fractionation of amino acid and protein mixtures. Some MOFs like UiO-66-NH2, due to their adsorption capabilities and stability across various pH levels, may selectively purify proteins from complex mixtures. The structural crystallinity of UiO-66-NH2 leads to a highly ordered charge distribution which is helpful to reduce heterogeneity of the ligand in comparison to commercially available resins. Our results showed that the absorption capacity of UiO-66-NH2 for catalase, as an example, is more than three times that obtained with common resins. This study paves the way for further investigations to expand the utilization of MOFs for bioseparation.