NaCl template-assisted synthesis of self-floating COFs foams for the efficient removal of sulfamerazine

Ruiqi Liu; Qian Yan; Yumeng Tang; Rui Liu; Lijin Huang; Qin Shuai

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126702

NaCl template-assisted synthesis of self-floating COFs foams for the efficient removal of sulfamerazine

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Jan 5:421:126702. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126702. Epub 2021 Jul 21.

Authors

Ruiqi Liu¹, Qian Yan¹, Yumeng Tang¹, Rui Liu¹, Lijin Huang², Qin Shuai¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), No. 388, Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, PR China.
² Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), No. 388, Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, PR China; Zhejiang Institute, China University of Geosciences, Hangzhou 311305, PR China. Electronic address: huanglj@cug.edu.cn.

PMID: 34325291
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126702

Abstract

The preparation of hierarchical porous covalent organic frameworks (HP-COFs) is of great significance due to their inherent porosity and low density. However, it is still very challenging owing to the poor machinability of COFs. Herein, a simple and cost-efficient strategy for the synthesis of HP-COFs was proposed. In particular, p-toluenesulfonic acid and NaCl, both of which can be recycled, are utilized as catalyst and template, respectively. The resulting HP-TpBD-900 featuring abundant macropore and mesopore as well as large specific surface area (~700 m² g^-1) possessed self-floating ability and was turned out to be a promising adsorbent for the efficient removal of sulfamerazine (SMR) in aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacity is 168 mg g^-1, which is more than twice in comparison to that of material prepared without NaCl template. In addition, no significant decrease in adsorption capacity was observed after 5 cycles. Furthermore, the density functional theory (DFT) method was utilized to elucidate the adsorption mechanism, which could be dominated by hydrogen bonding and C-H···π interaction. This work not only provides a new strategy for the synthesis of HP-COFs, but also contributes to boosting the application of COFs in the field of wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Adsorption; Hierarchical Porous COFs Foams; Sulfamerazine; Template-assisted Synthesis; Wastewater remediation.