Research Projects

Acute renal diseases affect a large population worldwide, with a significant number of patients relying on dialysis or hemodialysis as an artificial kidney for removing toxins from blood. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for miniaturized dialysis devices, making them portable and wearable. Wearable artificial kidneys (WAKs) have been around for some time, but to make them comfortable, they need to be lightweight and compact. A sorbent with high adsorption capacity towards uremic toxins, especially urea, and tunable surface chemistry is essential. Ti3C2Tx, a member of the MXene family, has been demonstrated as a potential sorbent for WAKs. However, exploration of other layered materials or MXenes for portable WAKs is still lacking. This project aims to explore experimentally synthesized MXenes and carbon-based layered materials like functionalized-diamanes to determine their suitability and tunability as sorbents to urea using density functional theory and molecular dynamics-based simulations. The in-silico search will not only suggest potential sorbents for urea that could be useful in creating an economical portable home-dialysis wearable device but also improve our understanding of the system. This research will not only positively impact biotechnology and health but also provide greater mobility and better quality of life for people suffering from acute renal diseases.