Nanoporous materials for blood purification

Nano structured polymers are high tech materials with many promising applications. Within a new EU Marie-Skłodowska-Curie programme, scientists of UT's MIRA Institute will cooperate with partners in industry and science across Europe, to speed up the development of these materials. The UT research will focus on developing nanoporous materials for blood treatment.

Thanks to structures on a nano scale, polymers can get exceptional new properties: some polymers have these structures themselves, in other cases nanostructured materials are added for new functionality. For developing these new materials, the European research network 'TheLink' is now formed: fifteen researchers at ten institutes and companies will work on the whole development chain: from design to actual production and experiments.

Within this network, Professor Dimitrios Stamatialis of the MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine will lead a research project on special nanoporous membranes and sorbents for blood treatment. One PhD student will work at the Biomaterials Science and Technology group at UT, another at the filter company GVS S.p.A. in Italy. The UT research will focus on nanoporous sorbents that can be integrated within a membrane for blood purification of uremic toxins. The researcher in Italy will work on new polymers, for blood treatment as well. The new materials will be tested in vitro, and for computer simulations of the new materials, the researchers can rely on other colleagues within the network.

Provided by University of Twente