Assembly of β-glucosidase multilayers on spherical colloidal particles and their use as active catalysts

β-glucosidase (β-GLS) layers of the enzyme, each separated by oppositely charged polyelectrolyte (poly(styrenesulfonate), PSS), were deposited onto polystyrene (PS) latex particles using the layer-by-layer adsorption technique. Electrophoretic mobility (EPM) and single-particle light scattering (SPLS) measurements revealed regular and step-wise assembly of β-GLS/PSS multilayers on the colloidal particles. Alternating positive and negative ζ-potentials were observed for β-GLS and PSS deposition, respectively. An average thickness of 3.5±0.6 nm was calculated for each β-GLS/PSS layer pair from SPLS data. The immobilized catalyst (in the form of an enzyme multilayer film on particles) proved to be active in the glucosidation of dodecanol, yielding dodecyl-β-d-glucopyranoside. The product yield increased with increasing enzyme layer number for β-GLS multilayer-coated PS particles when the outermost layer was polyelectrolyte.