The
increasing frequency with which organic pollutants can be found in
global surface water poses a formidable
threat to both our environment and its creatures. While the problem
has attracted adequate attention, current water treatment tools such
as commercially available active carbon still cannot satisfy the remediating
necessity due to its unfavorable rate of uptake and high regenerating
cost. Moreover, water-insoluble pollutant adsorbents typically suffer
from poor processability, effectively decreasing their potential for
increased point-of-use versatility. Herein, we report a solution processable
poly-lipoic ester-based material that readily undergoes simple coacervation
upon ultrasonic solution processing. This material exhibits excellent
removal efficiencies (>90%) and material recyclability for the
uptake
of highly concentrated typical pollutants including a plastic component
bisphenol A (BPA), a pharmaceutical residue valsartan, and an industrial
dye fluorescein from water. The polymer is conveniently accessible
by a solvent-free, thermally initiated disulfide exchange ring-opening
polymerization of a lipoic ester derivative and is postfunctionalized
with an amphiphilic, π-electron-deficient bipyridinium-based
side chain. Solution processing of this material facilitated the development
of a pollutant sponge, which operates via a dip-remove-squeeze action,
with an adsorption rate constant for BPA ∼85 times greater
than its progenitor and achieving 80% removal efficiency in 30 s.
This approach is particularly promising for quick point-of-use treatment
of wastewater with high chemical oxygen demand. These results highlight
the importance for material processability in the development of water-insoluble
molecular adsorbents and establish poly-lipoic ester-based materials
as contending precursors for application-driven soft matter development.