Two Facile Aniline-Based Hypercrosslinked Polymer Adsorbents for Highly Efficient Iodine Capture and Removal

Effective capture and safe disposal of radioactive iodine (I-129 or I-131) during nuclear power generation processes have always been a worldwide environmental concern. Low-cost and high-efficiency iodine removal materials are urgently needed. In this study, we synthesized two aniline-based hypercrosslinked polymers (AHCPs), AHCP-1 and AHCP-2, for iodine capture in both aqueous and gaseous phases. They are obtained by aniline polymerization through Friedel-Crafts alkylation and Scholl coupling reaction, respectively, with high chemical and thermal stability. Notably, AHCP-1 exhibits record-high static iodine adsorption (250 wt%) in aqueous solution. In the iodine vapor adsorption, AHCP-2 presents an excellent total iodine capture (596 wt%), surpassing the most reported amorphous polymer adsorbents. The rich primary amine groups of AHCPs promote the rapid physical capture of iodine from iodine water and iodine vapor. Intrinsic features such as low-cost preparation, good recyclability, as well as excellent performance in iodine capture indicate that the AHCPs can be used as potential candidates for the removal of iodine from radioactive wastewater and gas mixtures.