Immobilization of Biomolecules

Chapter 7 focuses on the concept and application of immobilization and its relation to bionanotechnology. According to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), immobilization is defined as, “the technique used for the physical or chemical fixation of cells, organelles, enzymes, or other proteins (e.g., monoclonal antibodies) onto a solid support, into a solid matrix or retained by a membrane, in order to increase their stability and make possible their repeated or continued use” ( McNaught and Wilkinson 1997 ). In general, immobilization refers to the restriction or retardation of the molecule’s mobility and immobilized molecules are those molecules attached to a solid structure and whose movement is restricted either partially or completely ( Zhang et al. 2004 ). It is a natural phenomenon, for instance, microbial biofilms, which are hydrated matrices with surface-attached microorganisms. On account of biological and biomedical application associated with biomolecules, they are common molecules to be immobilized ( Kierek-Pearson and Karatan 2005 ).