Solvent regulation and template-free synthesis of β-cyclodextrin-based microporous organic network nanosheets for ultrafast and efficient removal of aromatic pollutants

Layer-stacking structures via the template-free synthesis are rare in two-dimensional microporous organic networks (2D MONs). Herein, we report a facile solvent regulation and template-free strategy by tuning the aggregation degree of 2D β-cyclodextrin (CD)-based MONs nanosheets. The 2D MON nanosheets provided larger uptake capacity and faster kinetics than the aggregated CD-MONs, revealing the significance of morphology control for the removal of pollutants. The prepared 2D CD-MON-DMF gave ultrafast adsorption kinetics and exhibited much larger saturation sorption capacity (327.9 mg g−1) than previous adsorbents for bisphenol AF. The developed strategy not only provides a novel way to construct 2D MON nanosheets for highly efficient removal of organic pollutants from water but also promotes the utilization of MONs in material and environmental sciences.