Hyper-crosslinked polymeric ionic liquid (HCPIL)-based chainmail adsorbents for highly efficient gaseous toluene capture under high humidity

Abstract

A kind of hydrophobic chainmail adsorbent, Cu-BTC@HCPIL (water contact angle up to 109.6°), was developed through ionic liquid-based hyper-crosslinked polymer surface engineering of a metal–organic framework (MOF). Under 80% relative humidity (RH = 80%), due to the presence of a hierarchical pore structure and hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs), the gaseous toluene adsorption capacity of Cu-BTC@HCPIL-2 was enhanced by 6.2 times compared to the naked Cu-BTC (49 mg g⁻¹), offering a novel strategy for designing advanced hydrophobic chainmail adsorbents.