Amides and Heparin-Like Polymer Co-Functionalized Graphene Oxide Based Core @ Polyethersulfone Based Shell Beads for Bilirubin Adsorption

Abstract

Excessive bilirubin in the body of patient with liver dysfunction or metabolic obstruction may cause jaundice with irreversible brain damage, and new type of adsorbent for bilirubin is under frequent investigation. Herein, graphene oxide based core @ polyethersulfone-based shell beads are fabricated by phase inversion method, amides and heparin-like polymer are introduced to functionalize the core-shell beads. The beads are successfully prepared with obvious core-shell structure, adequate thermostability and porous shell. Clotting times and protein adsorption are investigated to inspect the hemocompatibility property of the beads. The adsorption of bilirubin is systematically investigated by evaluating the effects of contacting time, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption, which exhibits improved bilirubin adsorption amount for the beads with amides contained cores or/and shells. It is worth believing that the amides and heparin-like polymer co-functionalized core-shell beads may be utilized in the field of hemoperfusion for bilirubin adsorption.

Keywords: bilirubin; core-shell beads; graphene oxide; polyethersulfone.