Fabrication of functional polyethersulfone (PES)-based materials for blood purification

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Polyethersulfone (PES)-based materials offer excellent stability and processability for blood purification applications like hemodialysis (HD), hemoperfusion (HP), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
• Their inherent hydrophobicity causes biofouling and poor hemocompatibility, limiting wider clinical use.
• Heparin-like functionalization is explored to enhance hemocompatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review strategies for heparin-like functionalization of PES-based materials.
• To highlight the benefits of in situ crosslinking copolymerization for fabricating functional PES materials.
• To discuss the development of multifunctional PES materials with improved hemocompatibility and smart functionalities for blood purification.

Main Methods:

• Review of fabrication strategies for functional PES-based materials.
• Focus on in situ crosslinking copolymerization.
• Discussion of multifunctional PES products including membranes, microspheres, and fibers.

Main Results:

• Functionalized PES materials exhibit anti-fouling, antibacterial, anticoagulant, and antioxidant properties.
• Developed materials show stimulus-responsiveness to various conditions (pH, salinity, temperature, etc.).
• Integration of smart functions and novel structures (core-shell, bionic) enhances blood toxin adsorption and separation capacity.

Conclusions:

• Functionalized PES materials with enhanced hemocompatibility and smart properties are promising for artificial kidneys, livers, and lungs.
• These advanced materials offer improved performance for hemodialysis and hemoperfusion.
• Further development guidelines are provided for functionalization, fabrication, and biomedical applications.