Conjugated microporous poly(aniline)s for removal of low-concentration formaldehyde

Removal of indoor formaldehyde is important but challenging due to the very low concentration. Here, we showed the applicability of a new class of conjugated microporous poly(aniline)s (CMPAs) in this formaldehyde capture. The unique properties of rich ultramicroporosity and benzenoid amine (-NH-) groups made the resulting CMPAs ideal platforms for the efficient low-concentration formaldehyde adsorption, through the interaction between benzenoid amine groups and formaldehyde via Mannich reaction and H-bond in the ultramicropore. They therefore exhibited ultrafast adsorption, receiving > 80% removal efficiency for ca 0.7 ppm formaldehyde within 60 min, and benchmarking storage capacity, achieving ca. 2679.68 mg.g(-1) for CMPA-2. Our CMPAs also worked well in a self-assembled air clean unit, keeping kinetically reducing average 98% of formaldehyde after treatment of 4000 BV polluted air (with ca. 25 ppm formaldehyde) without break-through. Outcomes highlighted the potential of CMPAs for the clean-up of airborne formaldehyde for human health protection in next generation. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A new class of conjugated microporous poly(aniline)s (CMPAs) showed great efficiency in removing indoor formaldehyde, achieving over 80% removal for low concentrations and high storage capacity. The potential of CMPAs for cleaning up airborne formaldehyde for human health protection in the next generation was highlighted in the study.