Issue 4, 2022

Magnetic conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles for selective absorption and sterilization

Abstract

The efficient removal and elimination of microbes from water is of great technological significance for saving water resources and sustainable social development. Herein, we report the invention of novel magnetic conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres (CMP-HSs@Fe3O4), which were synthesized by a Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling reaction using trichloroisocyanuric acid and ethynylbenzene as building blocks in the presence of SiO2 nanoparticles, followed by the removal of the SiO2 template and then decoration with Fe3O4 nanoparticles, for the absorption of antibiotics and the sterilization of microbes in wastewater. The hollow sphere structures of the conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres (CMP-HSs) exhibited a diameter of roughly 400 nm and a spherical shell thickness of 8 nm. They exhibited high BET surface areas and pore volumes of 178.9 m2 g−1 and 0.411 cm3 g−1 for CMP-1-HSs and 168.4 m2 g−1 and 0.484 cm3 g−1 for CMP-2-HSs, with distinct porosity and good permeability. Interestingly, the hollow sphere structure and continuous channels of the CMP-HSs@Fe3O4 spheres allow the antibiotic molecules to easily permeate the CMP-HSs wall and to be absorbed in the sphere cavity, resulting in a high adsorption capacity (recoveries ranging from 86.5% to 99.1%). At the same time, the inherently bacteriostatic property of the CMPs, as well as their abundantly accessible external surface area, originating from their hollow sphere structure, for contact with bacteria, gives the CMP-HSs@Fe3O4 superior sterilization performance, i.e., for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CMP-HSs is 150 μg mL−1. Moreover, CMP-HSs@Fe3O4 could be recovered and recycled by simply applying a magnetic field. Taking advantage of their large absorption capacity, high sterilization performance, and ease of separation and recycling, CMP-HSs@Fe3O4 may have remarkable potential for practical applications in separation, purification, and water treatment, etc.

Graphical abstract: Magnetic conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles for selective absorption and sterilization

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 nov 2021
Accepted
20 jan 2022
First published
01 feb 2022

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2022,9, 1381-1390

Magnetic conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles for selective absorption and sterilization

Z. Hu, Y. Ma, N. Lu, L. Yan, H. Sun, Z. Zhu, W. Liang and A. Li, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2022, 9, 1381 DOI: 10.1039/D1EN01076J

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