Highly selective adsorption of dyes by functional hypercrosslinked-polymers prepared in a facile and chemically stable manner

One of the challenges in water pollution control is the design of adsorbents aimed at achieving low cost, ultrafast, and selective adsorption of pollutants. Hypercrosslinked-polymers (HCPs) possess abundant microporous structures and advantages such as the ability to manipulate the framework structure, making them highly valuable in the field of adsorption. Three HCPs namely polythiophene (Th-1), polypyrrole (Py-1), and polyfuran (Fu-1) were synthesized through a Friedel's alkylation reaction utilizing different functional monomers (thiophene, pyrrole , and furan) employing a knitting strategy. The HCPs exhibit a heterocyclic structure (C-S-C, C-N-C, C-O-C) with remarkable charge selectivity as well as strong resistance to acids and alkalis. The HCPs, with varying functional monomers, demonstrate selective adsorption of dyes based on their charges and release of dyes dependent on solvent and pH conditions. The ease of synthesis, cost-effectiveness, and high reusability render these HCPs suitable for further design optimization through the utilization of diverse functional monomers to achieve efficient adsorption and removal of environmental pollutants from water.