(219f) Sequestration of Pfas Surfactants from Water Using Functional Polymers

Surface active per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) find niche applications because of their high chemical and thermal stability, high interfacial activity, and incompatibility with both water and hydrocarbons. However, several widely used PFAS surfactants have been found extremely resistant to degradation, accumulate in the environment, and have long half-lives in humans, consequently generating great concern [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128137]. To sequester PFAS from aqueous media, we develop materials and processes that are based on PFAS binding to functional polymers. We present here examples on how the notorious PFAS surfactants perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy) propanoate (GenX) bind to poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymers [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2021.10.176]) in aqueous solution, and to polymer networks [https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c00168] [https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00383]. We also discuss how PFAS-adsorbent materials can be regenerated by disrupting the PFAS-polymer binding [https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CP00049G]. From the analysis of complementary experimental (small-angle neutron scattering, SANS, with contrast variation) and modeling (molecular dynamics, MD) results, a detailed description emerges on how PFAS molecules organize around the different parts of the polymers. This information is used to rationalize the capacity of these polymers for PFAS sequestration, and to design polymers with optimal binding and selectivity.