Enzymatically catalyzed degradation of biodegradable polymers investigated by means of a semiconductor-based field-effect sensor

Abstract

A semiconductor field-effect device has been used for an enzymatically catalyzed degradation of biopolymers for the first time. This novel technique is capable to monitor the degradation process of multiple samples in situ and in real-time. As model system, the degradation of the biopolymer poly(D, L-lactic acid) has been monitored in the degradation medium containing the enzyme lipase from Rhizomucor miehei. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of capacitive field-effect sensors for degradation studies of biodegradable polymers. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.