Improving the bioactivity of cellulose acetate hemodialysis membranes through nanosilver modification

The effectiveness and safety of hemodialysis can be hindered by protein accumulation, mechanical instability of membranes and bacterial infection during the dialytic therapy. Herein, we show that cellulose acetate membranes modified with the low-fouling polymers (namely polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethylene glycol), followed by the in situ reduction of different densities of silver oxide(I) nanoparticles, can effectively address these limitations. These improvements comprise the enhanced resistance to the protein fouling, improved antimicrobial capabilities against S. aureus, increased selectivity, and thermal stability and mechanical strength. The nano-enhanced membranes showed an improved albumin rejection rate of approximately 90 %, and the creatinine clearance rate ranged between 90 and 94 %. Our findings demonstrate that nanosilver-modified membranes can be readily prepared from precursor solutions to act as robust, biocompatible, and hydrophilic hemodialysis membranes with controlled bacteriostatic potential, antifouling properties and high toxin clearance.