Molecular Interaction of Urea and Creatinine with Functionalized Mesoporous Silica for Hemodialysis Application

Accumulation of uremic toxins cause serious problems for kidney failure patient. Adsorbents like mesoporous silica (MS), has potential to remove uremic toxin in hemodialysis process. It can be conducted by incorporating the MS with polymer to become hybrid membrane or as separated component in dialyzer device. Amine group grafted on MS was known to increase the adsorption of uremic toxin such as urea and creatinine. In this study, we synthesize mesoporous silica with variation of CTAB, TEOS, and NaOH concentration to make different pore size and structure and functionalized them. Most researcher study the adsorption by calculated the uremic toxin before and after the process. However, the mechanism of the adsorption of urea and creatinine by MS has not been studied yet. It is important to know whether the pore size or the amine group that is more significant in the adsorption. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the interactions between urea and/or creatinine with MS at a molecular level. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) is a crucial tool in this endeavor as it provides direct access to the vibrational modes of the adsorbed molecules. By using INS, we can observe how urea and creatinine interacts with the amine and hydroxyl on MS surface, revealing changes in molecular vibrations that indicate how the molecules are adsorbed and bound.