Efficient polymeric material for separation of human hemoglobin

Abstract

In this study, negatively charged acrylic acid was used as a functional ligand to synthesise net-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid) microparticles for the removal of hemoglobin having a positively charged Fe2+ ion in the core, as an alternative to conventional techniques to achieve a cost effective high-capacity purification. The characterization of microparticles was performed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, the Brunauer – Emmett – Teller surface area analysis, and swelling test methods. Optimum adsorption conditions such as pH, initial hemoglobin concentration, temperature, and interaction time were studied batch wise. The highest adsorption capacity of microparticles was observed at pH 7.4 as 1276.4 mg hemoglobin/g polymer. The reusability of microparticles was also promising with ∼5% decrease in the adsorption capacity at the end of the five adsorption-desorption cycles.