Surface sieving coordinated IMAC material for purification of His-tagged proteins

Highlights: • Novel IMAC material was prepared for one-step purification of His-tagged proteins. • Size sieving effect synergized metal ion affinity in this material. • RAFT was applied to precisely control the polymer shell for surface sieving. • High selectivity of target proteins could be achieved by such material. - Abstract: Tailor-made materials for the purification of proteins with His-tag was designed through synergizing the selectivity of surface sieving and metal ion affinity. By excluding impurity proteins out of the surface polymer network, such materials could purify His-tagged proteins from the crude cell lysis with purity up to 90%, improved by 14% compared to that obtained by the commercial metal chelating affinity materials. This study might promote the His-tagged protein purification to a new level.