One-dimensional fluorescent covalent organic frameworks rich in exposed sp3-N sites for ultra-fast iodine capture and visual monitoring

Abstract

It is important to capture radioactive iodine, especially highly volatile CH3I and I2, from nuclear waste for pollution control. Research has indicated the great potential that covalent organic frameworks possess for iodine capture, and several covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high adsorption capacities have been reported. However, increasing the capture rate of gaseous iodine remains a major challenge at present. To this end, researchers have improved iodine capture rates by introducing macropores, nitrogen sites, and heteroatoms. In the field of catalysis, 1D COFs have been used due to their abundant exposed sites. Inspired by this, we postulated that it is feasible to increase the exposure of N sites to increase the iodine capture rate. Herein, we report a strategy based on 1D COFs (COF-1D6 and COF-1D7) with the introduction of exposed sites, which significantly enhances the adsorption rates of I2 and CH3I, while maintaining a high loading capacity. In particular, COF-1D6 with completely exposed sites exhibited a K80% of 1.07 g g−1 h−1, which is far higher than that of other reported COF adsorbents. The excellent fluorescence of COF-1D6 also enabled visual monitoring of the CH3I adsorption process. This work provides new insights into rapid iodine capture from the perspective of exposure sites.

Graphical abstract: One-dimensional fluorescent covalent organic frameworks rich in exposed sp3-N sites for ultra-fast iodine capture and visual monitoring

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Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
08 Aug 2025
Accepted
28 Sep 2025
First published
29 Sep 2025
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2025, Advance Article

One-dimensional fluorescent covalent organic frameworks rich in exposed sp3-N sites for ultra-fast iodine capture and visual monitoring

K. Li and B. Yan, Chem. Sci., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5SC05993C

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