Porous β-cyclodextrin nanotubular assemblies enable high-efficiency removal of bisphenol micropollutants from aquatic systems

The performance of water purification by adsorption method has been limited owing to the fact that most of current available adsorbents fail to achieve satisfactory removal performance for organic micropollutants. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of novel porous polymeric adsorbent built from β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), in which β-CD molecules are arranged in an ordered bis (β-CD) tubular assemblies. The induction of bis (β-CD) units renders them high adsorption affinity toward bisphenols (bisphenol A and its analogues bisphenol B, bisphenol F and bisphenol S), the typical endocrine disruptors, via the formation of stable host-guest inclusion complexes in aquatic systems. In combination with their high porosity (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 150 m2·g−1), abundant β-CD content and fast sorption kinetics, the obtained adsorbent outperforms commercial water purifier in elimination of bisphenol micropollutants from potable water. Our work may open a new avenue for designing highly efficient adsorbents for removal of organic micropollutants from aquatic systems.