Multicomponent PFCAs Capture, Detection, Differentiation, and Aqueous-Phase Removal with Adaptive Luminescent Organic...

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, nonbiodegradable pollutants that accumulate in water, posing threats to human health and aqueous ecosystems. There is currently a need for technologies capable of both multicomponent detection and removal of PFAS from contaminated sources. Here, we show that two low-cost, easy-to-prepare fluorescent porous organic cages remove efficiently trace amounts of a representative perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), with pseudo-second-order rate constants (kobs) as high as (1.273 ± 0.001) × 104 g mg-1 h-1, while reducing PFOA levels from 1500 ppt to as low as 3.49 ± 0.21 ppt. By integrating these cages into a high-throughput sensor array and using substrate-selective fluorescence response "fingerprints" for precise discrimination, accurate differentiation of PFCAs (C4-C10) with varying carbon chain lengths can also be achieved. This dual-function approach, involving both multicomponent PFAS detection and efficient removal, provides a new and easy-to-implement approach to the environmental monitoring and remediation of PFAS.