Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Chemical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Jamie Hestekin
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease occurs when the kidneys lose the ability to effectively filter the blood, which causes waste build up. End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is the most severe case of kidney disease and requires either dialysis or a kidney transplant. Hemodialysis, the most common form of dialysis, is an extremely time-intensive and physically burdensome process that is currently limited by membrane performance. The polysulfone (PSf) membranes that are widely used for dialysis today have many limitations, including fouling, toxin rejection, and essential protein loss. Recently, new membranes made from TEMPO-Oxidized nanocellulose dissolved in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIM-Ac) have shown promising characteristics, including higher flux and selectivity, but they lack the mechanical strength to be used for medical applications. This study investigates using cosolvents to increase the mechanical strength of the membranes without losing any of the dialysis performance. The cosolvents used were dimethyl Acetate (DMAc), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). Results show that the addition of the cosolvent combined with glycerol drying significantly improves tensile strength, with the membranes made with DMSO having the largest increase. The initial hypothesis that the cosolvents improve strength through increased solution viscosity was not supported, as no positive correlation was observed. This indicates that the strength improvement must come from other factors besides viscosity. Comparisons with theoretical models suggest that fiber diameter, orientation, and length could all collectively be the explanation for the increase in mechanical strength. While further testing must be done to fully understand the strengthening mechanism, the observed improvement in strength presents a promising step forward towards the use of nanocellulose membranes for dialysis applications.
Keywords
Dialysis; Membrane; Cellulose; Cosolvent; Kidney Disease; Tensile Strength
Citation
Butler, B. M. (2026). Strengthening Kidney Dialysis One Membrane at a Time: Enhancing TEMPO-Oxidized Nanocellulose and Ionic Liquid Membrane Strength through the Variation of Cosolvents. Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cheguht/236
