Ionic Fluorogels for remediation of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances from water

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are small molecules used widely in industrial processes, consumer products, and fire-fighting foams. They contaminate waters worldwide and are associated with adverse human health effects, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Motivated by the limitations of current technologies, we identified two design parameters native to anionic PFAS, fluorophilicity and ion exchange, which we hypothesized could be synergistically leveraged for selective PFAS sorption. The synthesis of systematic libraries of Ionic Fluorogels with varied compositions of fluorous and electrostatic components led to the identification of optimized resins demonstrating selective, rapid removal of anionic PFAS, facile regeneration, and promising removal of PFAS in flow-through packed beds. Careful choice of the fluorinated matrix enabled chemical stability and avoided PFAS production and leaching. Leveraging these design principles enabled further materials development and optimization toward translationally-relevant materials for practical PFAS remediation.