Porous Noncovalent Organic Frameworks as Emerging Adsorbents for Radionuclide Decontamination

Capture and management of radionuclides released from nuclear activity are essential for the safe and sustainable development of nuclear energy to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions. Adsorption is considered a promising approach owing to the low cost, avoidance of organic solvents, and nonsecondary contamination. Advanced porous materials with excellent adsorption capacity, selectivity, stability, and reusability are, thus, urgently demanded. In this Perspective, we highlight the state-of-the-art research on noncovalent organic frameworks (nCOFs), an emerging class of porous sorbents that have been applied for radionuclides decontamination, including Xe/Kr separation, iodine capture, and uranium sequestration from aqueous environments. nCOFs exhibit superior adsorption capacities and exceptional selectivity for radionuclides due to strong host-guest interactions, bearing unique adsorption behaviors and mechanisms. Specifically, the highly crystalline nature of nCOFs enables the elucidation of host-guest interactions at a molecular level and a solution-based processing and recycling with low cost and low energy consumption. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges and future directions that will inspire and inform the design of new generations of nCOFs for radionuclide decontamination.