Strategic Fabrication of Task-specific Advanced Porous Functional Materials for Waste Recycling and Sequestration of Toxic Pollutants

Abstract

In an era of growing environmental and technological challenges, the development of smart materials capable of addressing critical issues such as pollution and waste recovery has become essential. My PhD research focuses on designing and fabricating advanced porous materials—specifically, Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Metal–Organic Polyhedra (MOPs), and Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs)—tailored for task-specific environmental applications. The first part of my work involves the fabrication of a chemically robust MOF/polymer composite capable of selectively capturing higher-valent actinides from simulated nuclear waste, offering a promising route toward safer nuclear waste management. Building on this, the rest of my research focuses on developing methods to transform these powder-based porous materials into processable, macroscopic forms such as foams and aerogels at ambient condition. For example synthesis of a non-fluorinated, hydrophobic MOP/melamine foam composite that efficiently separates oil from oil–water emulsions, offering a sustainable solution for oil spill clean-up. Further, I synthesized a multivariate COF aerogel for selective sequestration toxic bromine from environment and my final work involved in designing a nano-springe decorated hybrid aerogel combining MOP and COF for the selective recovery of gold from electronic waste—an innovative step toward urban mining and resource sustainability. Altogether, my research bridges molecular design with real-world impact, showing how advanced porous materials can contribute to environmental clean-up and resource recovery. These solutions offer a sustainable approach to some of today’s most pressing global challenges.