Hemodialysis is one of the most commonly used treatments for patients suffering from irrecoverable kidney damage. In our present work we investigate polyetherimide (PEI) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) as a potential candidate for hemodialysis applications due to its efficient clearance and high biocompatibility. Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by the modified Hummers' method and was then confirmed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The GO-polyvinylpyrrolidone nano-composite incorporated PEI MMMs were fabricated by a semi-automatic casting unit, using the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. The effect of the nano-composite loading ratio was evaluated by water content; ultrafiltration rate, and porosity; which were all found to increase as the nano-composite content increased. Cross Sectional and top surface morphology was visualized using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The hydrophilicity of these membranes was in consonance with contact angle values. These MMMs demonstrated an increase in biocompatibility -reduced protein adsorption, suppressed platelet adhesion and lower complement activation. Furthermore the prolonged blood clotting time is an indication of the heparin mimic anticoagulant properties of these membranes. The cytocompatibility results by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and live cell/dead cell staining indicated that there was an increase in cell viability. The membranes with 0.1 wt% GO showed an excellent clearance of the model uremic toxins, namely urea, vitamin B-12 and cytochrome-c in-vitro. The diffusive permeability of these membranes could be comparable to the existing commercial hemodialysis membranes. Thus it can be concluded that these membranes containing a composite of both functional nano-sheets and bioactive polymers have a tremendous potential to be utilized commercially in hemodialysis modules if shown successful in further in-vivo studies with an animal model.

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