TiO2/Polystyrene Nanocomposite Antibacterial Material as a Hemoperfusion Adsorbent for Efficient Bilirubin Removal and Prevention of Bacterial Infection

The use of hemoperfusion adsorbents for the removal of bilirubin in patients with liver failure has become a critical treatment. However, the insufficient clearance of bilirubin and the possibility of bacterial infection during hemoperfusion limit the application. In this work, we designed a novel antibacterial bilirubin adsorbent (PSVT) through the suspension polymerization reaction between double-bond functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles and styrene. PSVT showed an excellent bilirubin adsorption ability and antibacterial performance, ensuring efficient clearance of bilirubin in liver failure patients during hemoperfusion and preventing bacterial infection. The experimental results indicated that TiO2 was uniformly dispersed in the microspheres, which improved the mesoporous structure and increased the specific surface area. Composite adsorbent PSVT showed an exceptional bilirubin adsorption capacity, with the maximum adsorption capacity reaching 24.3 mg/g. In addition, the introduction of TiO2 endowed PSVT with excellent antibacterial ability; the ultimate antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reached 97.31 and 96.47%, respectively. In summary, PSVT served as a novel antibacterial bilirubin adsorbent with excellent bilirubin clearance capacity and antibacterial performance, providing excellent application prospects for treating liver failure patients.

Novel Zeolite-5A@MOF-74 Composite Adsorbents with Core-Shell Structure for H2 Purification

Hydrogen is considered as one of the most important clean and renewable energy sources for a sustainable energy future. However, its efficient and cost-effective purification still remains challenging. In this work, we report the development of novel zeolite@metal-organic framework (MOF) composites comprised of MOF-74 and zeolite-5A with core-shell structure for efficient purification of H₂. The composites were synthesized hydrothermally through the addition of zeolite particles with and without carboxyl functional groups to the MOF synthesis solution. The zeolite/MOF weight ratio was varied systematically to find the optimum composition based on the adsorption performance. The formation of zeolite@MOF composites was confirmed by various characterization techniques. Single-component adsorption isotherms of CO₂, CO, CH₄, N₂, and H₂ over composites were measured at 25 °C to determine their equilibrium adsorption capacity. It was found that the zeolite-5A@MOF-74 with weight ratio of 5:95 exhibited a similar morphology to that of pristine MOF-74, but with higher surface area and total pore volume. Moreover, this composite showed 20-30% increase in CO₂, CO, CH₄, and N₂ uptake than the bare MOF, which could be attributed to the formation of new mesopores at the MOF-zeolite interface. The estimated selectivity values for CO₂/H₂, CO/H₂, CH₄/H₂, and N₂/H₂ were higher than those of the zeolite and/or MOF. Our results also indicated that surface modification of zeolite prior to composite formation does not enhance the adsorption capacities of the composites. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that the zeolite-5A@MOF-74 composites with core-shell structure are promising candidates for industrial H₂ purification processes.

[Performance of Polymer-based Titanium and Zirconium Oxides Composite Adsorbent for Simultaneous Removal of Phosphorus and Fluorine from Water]

A novel composite adsorbent (Ti-Zr-D201) for simultaneous removal of phosphate and fluoride from water was prepared by loading nanosized titanium and zirconium oxides on the anion exchange resin named D201. Combining with the characterization of the adsorbent, adsorption isotherm experiments, effect of solution pH experiments, competitive tests, kinetic experiments and fixed bed column adsorption experiments were performed to explore the adsorption performance and mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ti-Zr-D201 for phosphorus and fluorine was 34.9mg·g^-1 and 35.1mg·g^-1 respectively, when the pH value was 5.8 and the temperature was 308K. Adsorption behavior was spontaneous, and higher temperature was favorable for phosphorus and fluoride adsorption. The effect of pH on the adsorption of fluoride was more significant compared with the adsorption of phosphorus. SO₄^2-, NO₃^- and Cl^- were selected as the competitive ions for competition experiments, and the results indicated that Ti-Zr-D201 exhibited favorable sorption selectivity for phosphorus and fluoride compared with the host material D201. The fitting results of the internal diffusion model showed that there were two different adsorption stages before the adsorption equilibrium of Ti-Zr-D201. Column adsorption experiments showed that Ti-Zr-D201 had a stable structure, excellent dynamic adsorption performance, and could be recycled, which showed the potential of practical application.