Ultra-stable fluorescent 2D covalent organic framework for rapid adsorption and selective detection of radioiodine

Abstract

Abstract Radioactive iodine is a harmful substance produced by nuclear fission, and its hazard to the human body should not be underestimated. In this work, a novel adsorbent COF-PA containing quinoline and phenylacetylene units for dual chemical adsorption of iodine is designed and prepared. It exhibits the fastest adsorption rate (1.3\u202fg\u202fh−1) among 2D covalent organic frameworks and also possesses remarkable adsorption capacity and efficiency at low concentration of iodine vapor. When the weight ratio of adsorbent to iodine is 1:1, the adsorption efficiency of COF-PA reaches 90%. Moreover, COF-PA can maintain good crystallinity when soaked in common organic solvents and strong acids (12\u202fM HCl) and bases (14\u202fM NaOH) for one week, and its stability is of great significance for the real industrial applications. Unexpectedly, COF-PA shows strong fluorescence, which can be specifically quenched by iodine and thus be applied for selective iodine detection.