Preparation of nano-CaCO3/polystyrene nanocomposite beads for efficient bilirubin removal

A novel nano-CaCO3/polystyrene nanocomposite adsorbent (NPS-8) was synthesized for efficient bilirubin removal from human plasma. A comparison with the polystyrene adsorbent (PS-8), which was without the incorporation of nano-CaCO3, revealed that NPS-8 had superior bilirubin adsorption capacity and mechanical strength. The resulting nano-CaCO3 reinforced PS-8 (NPS-8) was tested by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical strength test, and bilirubin adsorption assays. The adsorption results indicated that NPS-8 displayed better adsorption capacity for bilirubin (91%) than that of PS-8 (75.88%). The mechanical strength of NPS-8 was significantly greater than that of PS-8. In addition, both PS-8 and NPS-8 possessed good blood compatibility properties (a negligible hemolytic activity and platelet adhesion). Therefore, a conclusion could be drawn that NPS-8 has a high potential as an efficient bilirubin adsorbent for blood purification in clinical practice. At the same time, the success of organic-inorganic nanocomposite adsorbents might provide a new insight into the improvement of adsorbents in hemoperfusion.