Biotransformations in synthetic fibres

Recent studies clearly indicate that the modification of synthetic polymers with enzymes is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical methods requiring harsh conditions. Some work already performed on polyamide 6.6 (nylon 6.6), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) revealed that surface functionalization of these materials is a key requirement for an extensive range of applications, such as textiles, electronics, biomedical field and others. Research performed on PET with lipases, cutinases and other esterases has previously been reported, whilst enzymatic treatment of PAN with nitrilases and cutinase has also been the subject of study. However, at present, few studies have been done on nylon fabrics, mainly with esterases and proteases. This work is intended as a brief review of research in the area of biocatalytic functionalization of synthetic fibres, with a special focus on work recently performed by our research group with cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi.