Superiority of a polymeric scavenger over its hexapodal monomer towards efficient ReO4- removal in water.

A new imidazolium functionalized hexapodal polymeric receptor, [PHIm-Br], showed selective and efficient removal (>99%) of perrhenate (ReO4-), from 100% aqueous medium via solid-liquid extraction, which was 13% higher as compared to its monomeric analouge [HIm-Br]. Most importantly, [PHIm-Br] overcomes the drawback of [HIm-Br] in terms of removal of ReO4- at lower anion concentration of ∼100 ppm along with excellent radiation resistivity and reusability within a wide pH range, which implies its potential towards practical applications.