The entrapment of enzymes in capsules is a smart strategy to concentrate them in confined spaces and control their exposure to outside environments. Enzymes can be caged in the interior of capsules during their formation (preloading) or postloaded within prefabricated and permeable hollow shells. On the other hand, enzymes can also be deposited within the shell or on the surface of the capsules. Each of these strategies has intrinsic limitations, and a common enemy is the undesired desorption of enzymes.Here, we describe the formation of enzyme-loaded polymeric capsules prepared with the Layer-by-Layer method and the template-assisted entrapment of enzymes through coprecipitation (preloading) within calcium carbonate particles, as an example of an efficient preloading strategy, and draw attention at the key parameters that influence this immobilization method.
Keywords: Calcium carbonate; Enzymatic activity; Layer-by-layer; Polyelectrolyte capsules; Self-assembly.