Protein Purification Using Chitosan‐Modified Polyacrylonitrile Membranes

ABSTRACT Protein purification is essential for biomedical and industrial applications, but current methods often face challenges like low efficiency, high cost, and limited selectivity. To overcome these drawbacks, we developed electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes with chitosan (Cs) and evaluated their ability to capture bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) from aqueous solutions. Comparing PAN/Cs and pristine PAN membranes, we showed Cs significantly enhances BSA adsorption. The membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, tensile testing, surface area analysis, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. PAN/Cs membranes exhibited smooth, uniform fibers averaging 0.454 μm in diameter. The maximum BSA adsorption capacity () was 75.61 mg g −1 for PAN/Cs and 21.17 mg g −1 for PAN, while for IgG, was 28.83 mg g −1 for PAN/Cs and 19.77 mg g −1 for PAN. SDS‐PAGE electrophoresis confirmed that the eluted proteins maintained their quality and integrity. Elution efficiency of PAN/Cs membranes reached 89.13% for BSA and 62.16% for IgG. Additionally, PAN/Cs membranes selectively captured BSA and IgG when co‐dissolved in aqueous solutions. These results position PAN/Cs electrospun membranes as promising materials for efficient, cost‐effective, and selective protein purification, with potential applications in both biomedical and industrial fields.