PNNL

Abstract

Most current artificial lung technologies require the delivery of oxygen to the blood via permeable hollow fibers, depending on membrane diffusivity and differential partial pressure to drive gas exchange. We have identified an alternative approach in which dissolved oxygen (DO) is generated directly from the water content of blood through the indirect interaction of UV light with a semi-conducting titanium dioxide thin film. This reaction is promoted by photon absorption and displacement of electrons from the photoactive film, and yields a cascading displacement of electron “holes” to the aqueous interface resulting in the oxidation of water molecules to form DO. Anatase TiO2 (photocatalyst) and ITO (electrically conductive and light transparent) coatings were deposited onto quartz flow-cell plates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The crystal structure of the films was evaluated by grazing incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD), which confirmed that the primary crystal phase of the TiO2 thin film was anatase with a probable rutile secondary phase. Surface topology and roughness were determined by atomic force microscopy, demonstrating a stochastically uniform array of nanocrystallites. UV illumination of the titanium dioxide thin film through the quartz/ITO surface resulted in the rapid increase of DO and oxyhemoglobin in adjacent flowing blood on the opposite TiO2 surface at a rate of 1.28 x 10-5 mmol O2/sec. The rate of oxyhemoglobin generation was linearly proportional to residence time adjacent to the photoactive surface in a flow-through test cell under steady-state conditions. Preliminary biocompatibility for the proposed photocatalytic effect on whole blood demonstrated no increase in the rate of hemolysis or generation of toxic byproducts of photo-oxidation. These results demonstrate the feasibility and safety of employing optoelectronic mechanisms to promote oxygenation of hemoglobin in whole blood, and provide substantiation for the use of this technology as a mechanism for artificial respiratory support.