Ionic Functionalized Magnetic Porous Polymers as Advanced Materials for High-Efficiency Water Decontamination: Bactericidal and Iodine Adsorption

The relentless exploration of environmentally friendly remediation materials for high-efficiency killing of bacteria and capture of radioactive iodine from water is an eternal mutual topic among both academia and industry. Herein, a magnetic ionic porous organic polymer (iFP-POP) featuring sustainable and recyclable capacity was prepared via the multivariate strategy combined with subsequent postsynthesis modification and served as an advanced material to purify polluted water. The iFP-POP with an ultrafine magnetic gamma-Fe2O3 core and a hierarchical porous polymer layer was prepared via a facile and scalable synthesis strategy, in which gamma-Fe2O3 was formed directly during the coupling reaction. The iFP-POP featured abundant binding sites for I-2, including highly polar heteroatoms, quaternary ammonium ionic groups, magnetic gamma-Fe2O3, and electronegative cyclopentadiene, simultaneously, and presented ultrahigh I-2 capture capacities. Notably, iFP-POP recovered easily and rapidly from various solutions by using a magnet, which could be easily regenerated with almost no performance degradation. The unique structure endowed prominent antimicrobial activity to iFP-POP to act as a broad-spectrum bactericide. In vitro assay demonstrated that iFP-POP displays a cation-enhanced photothermal antibacterial effect toward both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (99.93%) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (94.99%). Furthermore, the encapsulation of I-2 endowed iFP-POP with the diffusion antibacterial effect, allowing iFP-POP to act as a recyclable antibacterial material. This work proposes inspiring information for the rational design and controllable fabrication of targeted POP-based materials for environmental pollution management.

Automated summary

This study presents the preparation of a magnetic ionic porous organic polymer with sustainable and recyclable capacity for purifying polluted water. The material showed high efficiency in killing bacteria and capturing radioactive iodine, and it could be easily recovered and regenerated without performance degradation. The unique structure of the material, including its magnetic properties, endowed it with prominent antimicrobial activity and diffusion antibacterial effect.