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Herein we report the chemotactic behaviour of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the gradients of carbohydrates (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and metal ions, including cofactors (Zn2+ and Mg2+), under microfluidic conditions. We found that ALP migrates marginally away from the carbohydrate gradient, whereas for divalent metal ions, the direction is opposite and more prominent. This differential phoresis is due to the Hofmeister effect driven change in the ALP surface zeta potential and osmotic pressure imbalance. Gaining control over the chemotactic extent and direction of an enzyme in response to purely non-catalytic conditions will have potential application in designing environment-responsive nanomachines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formation of a thermally stiffening microemulsion-based gel showing a nanoconfinement effect of carbohydrates in terms of microviscosity and hydrodynamic diameter of the reverse micelle (specifically with sucrose) is reported. The advantage of this gel as an efficient batch bioreactor for entrapped enzymes (horseradish peroxidase and thermophilic α-glucosidase) was shown, and illustrated its potential biocatalytic application at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]