Synergistic Nanotrap Polymeric Adsorbents for Environmental Remediation

Synergistic nanotrap polymeric adsorbents, by integrating multiple cooperative interaction modes within a single polymer network, can effectively overcome the limitations of conventional single-site sorbents in complex environments. This review examines and summarizes the latest research advances in such systems, covering both non-porous and porous polymers, and systematically correlates polymer molecular design with adsorption performance toward organic pollutants, aqueous ionic pollutants, and radioactive contaminants. We place particular emphasis on how hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, π-π stacking, coordination, hydrophobic effects, and halogen bonding are introduced and integrated within polymer backbones to construct multisite nanotraps, thereby enhancing adsorption capacity, kinetics, selectivity, and resistance to interference. Finally, we discuss the key challenges and future opportunities associated with achieving deeper mechanistic understanding, operando characterization under realistic conditions, and the scalable processing and engineering application of synergistic nanotrap polymeric adsorbents, with the aim of advancing their practical implementation in sustainable environmental remediation.