Porosity Design on Conjugated Microporous Poly(Aniline)S for Exceptional Mercury(II) Removal

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) show potential for wastewater treatment but require improved pore structures for effective heavy-metal ion adsorption.
• Current CMPs exhibit moderate adsorption capacities, necessitating advanced design strategies for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rationally design conjugated microporous poly(aniline)s (CMPAs) with hybrid molecular pores for enhanced mercury removal.
• To improve mass transfer and adsorption storage by creating both diffusion channels and storage pores within the CMP structure.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized CMPAs using a polymerization strategy involving the controlled introduction of linkers with varying molecular lengths.
• Characterized the resulting CMPA-M materials to evaluate their structural properties and adsorption performance.

Main Results:

• The developed CMPA-M exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 975 mg g^-1 for mercury(II).
• Achieved rapid mercury removal, with 94.8% removal of 50 mg g^-1 Hg(II) in 48 seconds and an initial adsorption rate of 113 mg g^-1 min^-1.
• Demonstrated excellent performance in real wastewater with low pH and high salinity, removing over 99.9% of mercury(II) and enabling high-purity mercury recycling (99.1%).

Conclusions:

• The rational design of hybrid molecular pores significantly enhances the adsorption capacity and kinetics of CMPAs for mercury removal.
• The developed CMPA-M materials offer robust stability, reusability, and exceptional selectivity, making them highly promising for environmental remediation and mercury extraction.
• These findings establish new benchmarks for CMP-based adsorbents in addressing heavy-metal pollution.