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Research Summary:
The purpose of this project is to study interfacial enzymatic cleavage of
proteins with the goal
of obtaining a better understanding of the mechanism and kinetics of enzyme
action in commercial
detergent formulations. Historically, enzyme performance has been empirically
optimized, so
further improvements will require a more detailed study of the enzyme-surface
interactions,
enzyme-surfactant interactions, as well as the effect of other detergent
additives (builders,
polymers, peroxide, etc.). Model protein "stain" substrates were
developed on silicon wafers in
order to utilize techniques such as ellipsometry,
optical waveguide light spectroscopy (OWLS), and
atomic force microscopy (AFM). This will allow the determination of protein
content and morphology
on the surface as a function of time, enzyme concentration, surfactant
concentration, etc.
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