Superhydrophobic porous polymer‐supported atomic copper for boosting ammonia capture under real‐world conditions
Abstract Metal sites enable efficient and precise ammonia (NH 3 ) capture, but their leaching and mineralization occur upon long‐term exposure to water vapor and corrosive impurities. Here we report a new Cu‐carboxyl center constructed by anchoring atomic copper on carboxyl‐modified, superhydrophobic nanoporous polydivinylbenzene (N‐PDVB‐COOH). The resulting xCu@N‐PDVB‐COOH shows high NH 3 capacities, improved NH 3 /N 2 /H 2 IAST selectivities, superior separation precision, and robust recyclability. Under extreme conditions with water vapor, SO 2 , and NO x , it maintains performance without structural damage, Cu leaching, or mineralization, outperforming literature‐reported sorbents. The mechanism stems from the tunable Cu‐carboxyl center on superhydrophobic N‐PDVB‐COOH, which facilitates specific NH 3 recognition and reversible adsorption while excluding H 2 O and other interferents. This dual‐function design blocks competitors from the Cu‐carboxyl center, allowing efficient NH 3 capture and concurrent resistance to deactivation. Importantly, this principle extends to other atomic metals (e.g., Ni, Co) on N‐PDVB‐COOH, establishing a universal platform for water‐ and corrosion‐resistant sorbents for versatile gas separations.
Authors
- Wentao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1504-4789)
- C. L. Philip Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5451-7230)
- Chi Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8694-2882)
- Lilong Jiang
- Fujian Liu
- Yong Zheng
- Shouchao Zhong
- He Cheng
Institutions
- China Spallation Neutron Source (CN)
- Fuzhou University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- AIChE Journal
- Published
- 2026-04-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70395
- Primary Topic
- Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province
- National Key Research and Development Program of China