Ionic site engineering in nitrogen-rich porous organic polymers for efficient trace iodine pollutants removal from water

Iodine pollution in water, especially from radioactive sources, represents a significant environmental challenge. Conventional water treatment methods often fail to efficiently remove iodine pollutants, particularly those present in low concentrations. In this study, an ionic nitrogen-rich porous organic polymer (NPOP-TIPA) was synthesized by engineering ionic sites into a nitrogen-rich porous organic polymer, to enhance the removal of multiple iodine pollutants from aqueous solutions. This synergistic design strategy improved NPOP-TIPA’s affinity for multiple iodine pollutants, including molecular iodine (I 2 ), iodide (I − and I 3 − ). Experimental results revealed that NPOP-TIPA exhibited excellent iodine removal efficiency and excellent reusability. Additionally, NPOP-TIPA effectively reduced iodine concentrations from an initial 5 ppm to below 20 ppb, demonstrating its practical applicability under real-world conditions. This study highlights the potential of ionic nitrogen-rich materials in improving multiple trace iodine pollutants removal and provides new perspectives on the design of advanced materials for water purification.