MXene Nanosheet-Enhanced Chitin Aerogel Spheres for Bilirubin Adsorption
Guiyin Zhang, Danchun Shao, Hongbo Yu, Yi Wan, Yanpeng Jiao, Lihua Li, Jinhuan Tian, Changren Zhou, Lu Lu
Abstract
Excessive bilirubin in human blood can cause irreversible damage to the patient’s brain and nervous system. Herein, chitin/MXene (Ch/MX) composite aerogel spheres were designed by supercritical CO2 technology to remove bilirubin safely, quickly, and efficiently. In this study, Ti3C2 with 4 nm thickness was uniformly dispersed in the chitin fibers as a monolayer nanofiller and tightly connected with the chitin fibers, which significantly improved the mechanical strength and adsorption capacity of the aerogel spheres. The Ch/MX aerogel spheres could withstand 25,000 times their own weight. Compared with chitin aerogel spheres, the equilibrium time for bilirubin adsorption by Ch/MX aerogel spheres was shortened by 33% and the adsorption capacity was increased by 40%. In addition, Ch/MX aerogel spheres still possess a high adsorption capacity of 142.86 mg/g in bilirubin solution with BSA protein up to 80 mg/mL. Compared with commercial products used clinically, Ch/MX has the advantages of high adsorption capacity and high interference resistance. Compared with our previous chitinous/graphene aerogel spheres, Ch/MX has the advantages of low dosage of functional materials, high bilirubin adsorption rate, and good biocompatibility. This study demonstrates the advantages of MXene as a nanofiller for adsorbing bilirubin and promotes the development and application of inorganic 2D nanomaterials in the clinical treatment of hyperbilirubinemia.