Citation: Yang Liang, Xiaojuan Zhou, Rui Wang, Julius Rebek Jr, Yang Yu. Nonporous cavitand-crosslinked polymers: Harnessing deep cavities for efficient organic micropollutant removal from water[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(2): 111824. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111824 shu

Nonporous cavitand-crosslinked polymers: Harnessing deep cavities for efficient organic micropollutant removal from water

Yang Liang ^{a, 1} ,
Xiaojuan Zhou ^{a, 1} ,
Rui Wang ^{a, *,} ,
Julius Rebek Jr ^{a, b} ,
Yang Yu ^{a, *,}

a.
Center for Supramolecular Chemistry & Catalysis and Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
b.
Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States

wangrui1990@shu.edu.cn

yangyu2017@shu.edu.cn

Received Date: 16 July 2025
Revised Date: 29 August 2025
Accepted Date: 10 September 2025
Available Online: 11 September 2025

Figures(5)

Organic pollutants, a pivotal factor in water pollution, have persistently menaced the aquatic ecosystem, as well as the sustainable development of human health, economy, and society. Consequently, there is an urgent need for advanced techniques to efficiently eliminate organic micropollutants from water. Here, we present the synthesis of three nonporous cavitand-crosslinked polymers capable of adsorbing diverse organic pollutants from aqueous solutions. These polymeric adsorbents exhibit outstanding adsorptive performance towards the tested micropollutants, characterized by high apparent adsorption rate constants (k_obs) and maximum adsorption capacities (q_{max, e}). Notably, Compound NCCP-1 demonstrated a remarkable q_{max, e} of 459 mg/g for bisphenol A (BPA), ranking among the highest values reported for organic polymer adsorbents. In-depth investigation of the adsorption mechanism of the nonporous polymer revealed that it involves the recognition of pollutants by the deep cavities of the cavitand moieties and the interstitial spaces between them, primarily mediated by the hydrophobic effect. Furthermore, NCCP-1 was applied in situ water purification simulations and was proven to maintain its removal efficiency over more than four cycles, highlighting its potential for practical applications in water treatment.
- Water pollution,
- Organic micropollutant removal,
- Crosslinked polymer,
- Cavitand polymerization,
- Adsorption study,
- Nonporous polymer
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