Thioether-Functionalized Covalent Triazine Nanospheres:\nA Robust Adsorbent for Mercury Removal

Abstract

Hg/Hg­(II)\nhave been recognized as being highly poisonous to humans\nas they cause severe health and environmental problems. Designing\na suitable adsorbent decorated with an abundance of accessible chelating\nsites at the solid surface together with high affinity for heavy metals\nis a big challenge to overcoming mercury contamination. Here we report\na new thioether-functionalized covalent triazine nanosphere, SCTN-1,\nwhich has been employed as a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal\nof toxic mercury from contaminated water with an excellent adsorption\nperformance of 1253 and 813 mg g^–1 for Hg²⁺ and Hg(0) respectively, which largely outperforms several recently\nreported thiol and thioether-functionalized adsorbents. Our kinetic\nstudies suggest that SCTN-1 showed the fastest adsorption rate for\nthe removal of mercury from aqueous solutions among all adsorbents\nknown until date. Based on its adsorption performance and high recycling\nefficiency, this thio-functionalized nanoporous polymeric material\nhas huge potential to be explored in environmental remediation.