A very promising synthesis pathway is presented for the encapsulation of the photosynthetically active entities such as chlorophyta Dunaliella tertiolecta in a core-shell system based upon a robust matrix. Alginate/silica hybrid beads, on the millimeter scale, containing live cells are obtained through cross-linking chemistry and the polycondensation of silicic acid in conjunction with the use of a polycation to negate the surface charge on silica. Oximetry and fluorescence measurements highlight how this algal culture can remain photosynthetically active over a period of 9 months whilst entrapped within a porous, mechanically and chemically stable, optically transparent matrix and suspended in aqueous growth media with no observable leaching of the cells from the core of the beads. These results reveal how this encapsulation technology could be employed in large scale photobioreactors (PBR) to facilitate metabolite harvesting whilst protecting the culture from external contamination.
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