Project Number:
Start Date: 2026-01-29 End Date: 2027-01-28
Principle Investigators:
Aylin Aykanat (Assistant Professor)
Abstract:
Widespread use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in industrial consumer goods has led to groundwater contamination, raising concerns about human health and the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a health advisory setting a lifetime advisory limit of 4 parts-per-trillion in drinking water (PFOA and PFOS), further underscoring the urgency to address this emerging class of contaminants. The diverse and robust structural properties of these persistent chemicals present challenges in their degradation and removal. Contaminated water systems are typically remediated with granular activated carbon, but its modest affinity for PFASs, especially short-chain derivatives, makes it an expensive and temporary solution. This research proposal focuses on developing innovative materials for the detection and removal of PFAS using highly ordered cyclodextrin-based frameworks. Cyclodextrins possess a unique ability to form host-guest complexes with PFAS and are non-toxic, biodegradable, cost-effective, and customizable, offering a promising avenue for creating highly effective adsorbents. We will center on synthesizing novel, water-stable CD-metal-organic and covalent-organic frameworks (MOFs and COFs), as current systems exhibit instability due to their use of weak coordination bonds and high availability of hydrogen-bonding sites. This project aims to address this challenge by developing a more robust and tunable generation of CD-based materials, combining the exceptional host-guest properties of cyclodextrins with the high surface area, stability, and porosity of MOFs and COFs to exhibit enhanced performance, surpassing the limitations of conventional PFAS remediation techniques. The goal is to provide a sustainable and efficient solution for addressing the critical issue of PFAS contamination in water systems
