Ligand functionalized polymers

1. A method of separating a target biological species from a fluid comprising:

contacting the fluid with a

substrate having a coating on a surface thereof of a

ligand-functionalized polymer comprising

a water soluble or water dispersible aminopolymer functionalized with guanidinyl groups;

whereby a complex comprising the ligand-functionalized polymer and the target biological species is formed, and separating the complex; wherein said target biological species selected from biomacromolecules and microbiological species,

wherein the substrate is selected from a film, or a woven or nonwoven web.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said biomacromolecules are selected from proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, and endotoxins.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said microbiological species is selected from bacteria, viruses, cells, cell debris, and spores.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the aminopolymer functionalized with guanidinyl groups is of the formula:

wherein

R 2 is a H, C 1 -C 12 alkyl, C 5 -C 12 (hetero)aryl, or a residue of the polymer chain;

each R 3 is independently H, C 1 -C 12 alkyl, or C 5 -C 12 (hetero)aryl,

each R 4 is H, C 1 -C 12 alkyl or alkylene, C 5 -C 12 (hetero)aryl or (hetero)arylene, cyano, or —C(=NH)—N(R 2 )-Polymer, and

n is 1 or 2.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the aminopolymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylenimine, polylysine, polyaminoamides, polyallylamine, polyvinylamine, polydimethylamine-epichlorohydrin-ethylenediamine, polyaminosiloxanes and dendrimers formed from polyamidoamine (PAMAM) and polypropylenimine.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the base substrate is porous.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the porous base substrate is a microporous base substrate.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the porous base substrate is a nonwoven web.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the cells are selected from archaea, bacteria, and eucaryota.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is derived from a cell culture or fermentation process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid comprises a solution of a purified protein or enzyme after separating the complex.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the separated complex comprises a purified protein or enzyme.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the fluid has a salt content of at least 50 millimolar.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the fluid has a salt content of at least 100 millimolar.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of ligand-functionalized polymer relative to the amount of target biological species is 0.01% to 100% by weight.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the ligand-functionalized polymer is present in amounts of 0.01 to 5000 micrograms/mL of fluid.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein 0.1 to 100 mole percent of the available amino groups of the aminopolymer is functionalized with guanidinyl groups.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein functionalized guanidinyl groups are pendent from the polymer chain.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein functionalized guanidinyl groups are in the aminopolymer chain.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the ligand functionalized polymer is prepared by the steps of contacting a polyamine polymer with a guanylating agent selected from cyanamide; O-alkylisourea salts; chloroformamidine hydrochloride; 1-amidino-1,2,4-triazole hydrochloride; 3,5-dimethylpyrazole-1-carboxamidine nitrate; and carbodiimides.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of alkylating or acylating a portion of the amino groups of the ligand-functionalized polymer.