Construction of Multibranched Porous Polymers from Pitch Precursors and the Subsequent Significant Enhancement of Iodine Adsorption Capacity

As the nuclear energy sector continues to expand, the concomitant issue of iodine adsorption is garnering increasing attention. However, the associated high costs have traditionally confined such materials to the realm of laboratory research, precluding their widespread application. In this study, we utilized cost-effective asphalt as the primary or partial feedstock and employed the Scholl reaction—a straightforward and economical synthetic method—to fabricate porous aromatic framework materials, PAF-P and PAF-45-P. The materials in question have demonstrated superior gas-phase iodine adsorption capacities, reaching 2287   mg/g and 1910 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, they exhibit iodine adsorption rates of 83.27% and 72.15% in iodine-cyclohexane solutions. These remarkable figures position them as leading contenders for the large-scale application in pollutant adsorption. Comprehensive analytical techniques, including thermal gravimetric analysis and elemental composition assessment, coupled with rigorous adsorption performance evaluations, have revealed that the alkyl side chains structure present within the porous scaffolds substantially augments the adsorptive capacity for iodine and aromatic organic pollutants. These findings not only advance the field of material science but also hold significant promise for the development of cost-efficient, high-performance adsorbents capable of addressing pressing environmental challenges.