Photocatalytic detoxification of a sulfur mustard simulant under realistic conditions by imidazoline-based porous organic polymer composites

Abstract

Porous materials have recently been explored as highly effective photosensitizers for the photocatalytic detoxification of sulfur mustard. However, most porous material- based photosensitizers are reliant on heavy-metal effects and require non-realistic light sources and O-2-enriched atmosphere to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). To overcome such health problems and practical limitations, we here report a porous organic polymer (POP) photosensitizer (KUP-3) with a protonated imidazoline core, notably showing the generation of types I and II ROS. Owing to its robust framework, KUP-3 can be incorporated into fabrics or melamine sponges via in situ polymerization. The composite- based photocatalysts (KUP-3@OFb and KUP-3@MSp) exhibit protective and decontamination effects along with the photocatalytic detoxification, even under sunlight irradiation and ambient atmosphere, which is beneficial in real-world applications. This study demonstrates the design and fabrication strategy of a class of POP-based composite materials to enable practical applications for photocatalytic detoxification.