Rapid One-Pot Synthesis of Hyper-Cross-Linked Polymers at Room Temperature for the Efficient Adsorption of VOCs

Hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) represent a promising type of adsorbent for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), exhibiting ultrahigh porosity, excellent physicochemical stability, and superior cost-effectiveness. HCPs are typically prepared using solvothermal methods, which require at least 18 h at 80 °C, resulting in significant energy and time consumption, thus limiting large-scale production. Herein, we propose a rapid self-cross-linking synthesis strategy to prepare HCPs in one-pot within 5 min at room temperature (25 °C) by predispersing the catalyst and predissolving the monomers. The specific surface area of the prepared HCP, synthesized using 4,4′-bis(hydroxymethyl)biphenyl as monomer is as high as 1784 m2/g, which is comparable to those synthesized by solvothermal methods. This strategy makes the self-cross-linking reaction more homogeneous, playing a crucial role in accelerating the reaction and reducing the reaction temperature. In addition, it is observed that the HCPs exhibited excellent adsorption properties for benzene and methanol with adsorption amounts of up to 30.3 and 53.2 mmol/g, respectively. This work presents a simple strategy for the rapid and large-scale synthesis of HCPs as efficient adsorbents for VOCs.