During the first year of the project, NanoMed consortium has been working in the developement of nanoporous solids combining a highly developed porous structure (mainly microporous structure) and controlled surface chemistry. The main goal was to design a 3D system constituted by channels and/or cavities able to adsorb a large quantity of heavy metals and toxins. The initial work has been concentrated in the design and development of individual compounds. For this purpose, the project has focussed in three main materials: activated carbons, zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In the specific case of activated carbons, a wide variety of precursors have been evaluated (from petroleum residues, polymeric precursors, rice husk, biomass, etc.). In addition, different synthesis routes have been evaluated (physical and chemical activation). The obtained materials exhibit a range of BET surface area with values up to 2500 m2/g. Furthermore, the surface chemistry in these materials has been modified through the application of post-synthesis methods (e.g. oxidation with inorganic acids). In the specific case of zeolites, natural systems have been preferentially evaluated. These systems have been modified through the incorporation of transition metal species to improve the adsorption performance towards radioactive species. In addition, magnetic nanoparticles have been incorporated in the zeolite so that the final composite can be driven into the organism to the target place with a magnet.
Some of these systems have been evaluated in the adsorption of anti-inflamatory molecules and toxins with a very good adsorption performance. Last but not least, cytotoxicity tests provided very promising results for the majority of the sorbents evaluated.
At this point it is important to highlight that this research has been published in high-impact factor international journals.
