Porous Aromatic Framework with Tailored Binding Sites and Pore Sizes as a High-Performance Hemoperfusion Adsorbent for Bilirubin Removal

Highly efficient removal of bilirubin from blood by hemoperfusion for liver failure therapy remains a challenge in the clinical field due to the low adsorption capacity and slow adsorption kinetics of currently used bilirubin adsorbents (e.g., activated carbon and ion-exchange resin). Recently, porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) with high surface areas, tunable structures, and remarkable stability provide numerous possibilities to obtain satisfying adsorbents. Here, a cationic PAF with more mesopores, named iPAF-6, is successfully constructed via a de novo synthetic strategy for bilirubin removal. The prepared iPAF-6 exhibits a record-high adsorption capacity of 1249 mg g(-1) and can adsorb bilirubin from 150 mg L-1 to normal concentration in just 5 min. Moreover, iPAF-6 shows a removal efficiency of 96% toward bilirubin in the presence of 50 g L-1 bovine serum albumin. It is demonstrated that positively charged aromatic frameworks and large pore size make a significant contribution to its excellent adsorption ability. More notably, iPAF-6/polyethersulfone composite fibers or beads are fabricated for practical hemoperfusion adsorption, which also show better removal performance than commercial adsorbents. This work can offer a new possibility for designing PAF-based bilirubin adsorbents with an appealing application prospect.