Multifunctional porous β-cyclodextrin polymer for water purification.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Water purification is critical for human health and environmental sustainability.
• Existing methods struggle to simultaneously remove diverse organic micro-pollutants, natural organic substances, and pathogenic microorganisms.
• There is a need for advanced materials with high efficiency and multifunctionality in water treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a multifunctional porous β-cyclodextrin polymer for simultaneous water purification.
• To enhance adsorption capacity for organic contaminants and improve sterilization efficacy.
• To investigate the structure-property relationships and performance under various conditions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a porous β-cyclodextrin polymer incorporating quaternary ammonium groups and rigid benzene rings.
• Polymerization using 4,4'-bis(chloromethyl)-1,1'-biphenyl (BCMBP) crosslinker in an ionic liquid system.
• Characterization of the polymer's surface area, porosity, and adsorption/sterilization performance.

Main Results:

• The synthesized polymer, BQCD-BP, exhibited a high specific surface area (1133 m² g⁻¹).
• BQCD-BP demonstrated significantly higher adsorption capacity for humic acid (HA) and faster kinetics than activated carbon.
• Effective sterilization was achieved, with notable performance in treating natural water samples (82% sterilization rate).

Conclusions:

• BQCD-BP is a highly effective multifunctional material for water treatment, combining superior adsorption and sterilization.
• The polymer's performance is robust under varying hydrochemical conditions and it is easily regenerable.
• BQCD-BP shows great potential as an advanced material for practical water purification applications.