A Cucurbit[8]uril‐Based Supramolecular Framework Material for Reversible Iodine Capture in the Vapor Phase and Solution

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 20; no. 16; pp. e2308175 - n/a
• Main Authors: Lu, Yun, Yu, Zhichao, Zhang, Tingting, Pan, Dingwu, Dai, Jingjing, Li, Qing, Tao, Zhu, Xiao, Xin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.04.2024
• Subjects: 4‐aminopyridine; cucurbituril; iodine capture; recyclability; supramolecular framework materials; 4‐aminopyridine; cucurbituril; supramolecular framework materials; iodine capture; recyclability
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308175

The safe and efficient management of hazardous radioactive iodine is significant for nuclear waste reprocessing and environmental industries. A novel supramolecular framework compound based on cucurbit[8]uril (Q[8]) and 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP) is reported in this paper. In the single crystal structure of Q[8]‐(4‐AP), two 4‐AP molecules interact with the outer surface of Q[8] and the two other 4‐AP molecules are encapsulated into the Q[8] cavity to form the self‐assembly Q[8]‐(4‐AP). Iodine adsorption experiments show that the as‐prepared Q[8]‐(4‐AP) not only has a high adsorption capacity (1.74 g· g−1) for iodine vapor but also can remove the iodine in the organic solvent and the aqueous solution with the removal efficiencies of 95% and 91%, respectively. The presence of a large number of hydrogen bonds between the iodine molecule and the absorbent, as seen in the single crystal structure of iodine‐loaded Q[8]‐(4‐AP) (I2@Q[8]‐(4‐AP)), is thought to be responsible for the exceptional iodine adsorption capacity of the material. In addition, the adsorption‐desorption tests reveal that the self‐assembly material has no significant loss of iodine capture capacity after five cycles, indicating that it has sufficient reusability. A novel supramolecular framework compound based on cucurbit[8]uril and 4‐aminopyridine is constructed and demonstrated to be used for the capture of radioactive iodine in vapor and solutions. It is noteworthy that this research will contribute significantly to the safe and efficient management of hazardous radioactive iodine in nuclear waste reprocessing and environmental industries.