Self-Sustaining Supramolecular Ionic Liquid Gels for Dye Adsorption

Abstract

Water contamination is one of the main problems of modern society, and scientific research is continuously involved in identifying solutions able to preserve this valuable source. In this context, we characterized novel ionogels formed by organic salts with different anions. In particular, they show self-strengthening behavior, a quite unusual property for supramolecular gels, and they also exhibit a good load-bearing capacity. These ionogels are able to remove cationic dyes from wastewater. Thanks to their properties, they can be used in different apparatuses like dialysis membranes and as loading in adsorption columns. In the latter case over 95% removal is achieved in less than 10 min. Interestingly, soft materials can be reused for at least 20 cycles, partially regenerated, and reused for further 15 cycles. Comparison with data previously reported in the literature shows that this is a prerogative of this system and this represents not only an improvement but also a warranty of low raw material production after wastewater treatment.