Nanostructured hybrid membrane polysulfone-carbon nanotubes for hemodialysis G. Nechifor*, S.I. Voicu, A.C. Nechifor, S. Garea University Politehnica from Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, Bucharest, 060042, Romania email: doru.nechifor@yahoo.com Received 27 August 2007; revised 19 November 2007; accepted 26 November 2007 Abstract The obtaining of nanofunctionalized membranes is one of the newer trends for enhancing the performances of the membrane processes. In this paper, the results concerning the synthesis of new polymeric-carbon nanotube composite membranes based on polysulfone with different types of nanotubes, single wall (SWNT) and double wall (DWNT), are shown with applications in medical field of advanced separations of heavy metal from blood or other physiological liquids (Pb and Hg). At a maximum concentration of carbon nanotubes (5% against polymer), the maximum adsorption capacity of lead on membrane with single wall carbon nanotube is 49.2 mg/dm 2 and for membrane with double wall carbon nanotube (covalent interaction) is 56.2 mg/dm 2 . A study about the dependence of adsorption capacity on the concentration of carbon nanotube in polymer was performed. The materials were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and the results of hemodialysis- adsorption of the heavy metals on the nanotubes surface were investigated by atomic adsorption method. Keywords: Polysulfone; Carbon nanotubes; Membranes for hemodialysis 1. Introduction Between the very well known membrane polymeric materials, like cellulose derivatives, polyamides, aromatic polymers with etheric, esteric, imidic and iminic groups [1,2], poly- sulfones are extensively studied [3,4]. The constant interest of the membrane scientists for polysulfone is due to its excellent character- istics [5] such as solubility in a large range of aprotic polar solvents (dimethylformamide, di- methylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, halogen de- rivatives, nitrobenzene), high thermal resistance (150  1708C), chemical resistance on the entire pH range, resistance in oxidative medium (hypochlor- ite 5  7%, hydrogen peroxide 3  5%), high Presented at the Third Membrane Science and Technology Conference of Visegrad Countries (PERMEA), Siofok, Hungary, 2–6 September 2007. *Corresponding author. Desalination 241 (2009) 342  348 0011-9164/09/$– See front matter # 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.0000.00.000