mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG-based candidate hemodialysis membrane with enhanced performance in sieving, flux, and hemocompatibility

• Published in: Journal of membrane science 2022-09, Vol.657, p.120680, Article 120680
• Main Authors: Ren, Jian, Yang, Xin, Yan, Weixing, Feng, Xia, Zhao, Yiping, Chen, Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: block copolymer; Hemodialysis membrane; mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG; Post tailoring
• ISSN: 0376-7388; 1873-3123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120680

The efficiency of the hemodialysis membrane has been widely improved by blending small molecular additives and modifying the membrane surface for patients with chronic or acute kidney disease. However, a qualified sieving property, flux, and hemocompatibility are intractable to give consideration simultaneously, while the elution of small-molecular additives and modifiers easily cause coagulation, complement activation, etc. Fortunately, the BCP methoxy polyethylene glycol-polyethersulfone-block-methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG) based membranes exhibiting great potential for sieving in middle molecular toxin and compatibility between mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG and PES, is nearly unfeasible elution during hemodialysis, by reason of including bounded hydrophilic segments by chemical bonds. Here, the mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG is synthesized to fabricate the membranes, including blend membranes and BCP membrane. As a result, the blend membranes have shown an increasing flux, hemocompatibility, and sieving of lysozyme with the increasing cooperation of mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG, the block copolymer (BCP) mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG membrane has shown better balance than the blend membranes in flux, sieving, and hemocompatibility. Besides, for exploring further possibilities, the typical blend membrane M4 (mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG: 20%, PES: 5%) and BCP membrane M5 (mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG: 25%) are post tailored by ethanol at 50 °C for 2 h. This process leading the typical membranes to an efficient flux (M5-P: 442.22 L m−2 h−1) and sieving performances (M5-P: the urea and lysozyme sieving of 96.43% and 74.97%) due to the effect of ethanol at the micro-molecular chain movements and microspheres transfer. Our work presents BCP mPEG-b-PES-b-mPEG a promising future in hemodialysis membranes according to the superior performances of flux and sieving. [Display omitted] •The BCP membrane exhibited excellent balance in permeability and selectivity.•Post-tailoring facilitates the further permeability and lysozyme sieving.•An increasing hemocompatibility following with the increasing cooperation of BCP.•Post-tailoring promotes the transfer of microsphere as a new phenomenon.