Adsorption of Middle Molecular Weight Toxins on Carbon Nanotubes

The adsorption properties of middle molecular weight toxins on two types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (i.e., multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (ACNTs)) were studied and compared with two commercial haemoadsorbents (i.e., activated carbon (AC) and macroporous resin (MR)). The results showed that it took only 10 and 15 min for MWCNTs and ACNTs to achieve the adsorption equilibrium, respectively. The adsorption amount of MWCNTs reached 47.18 mg·g–1, which was 5.5 and 10.8 times of that of macroporous resin and activated carbon, respectively. Pore structure analyses indicated that the high adsorption efficiency should be attributed to the higher mesopore volumes of CNTs. All of the results implied the great potential applications of CNTs in haemoperfusion (HP).