The development of efficient strategies for the sustainable detoxification of mustard gas simulants has longstanding demand for human safety. Here, we present for the first time a photo- and sono-catalyzed selective detoxification of mustard gas simulants under ambient conditions using conveniently prepared porous organic polymer (POP) catalysts. We developed a microwave-assisted synthesis of three isomeric tetraphenylethylene-based POPs (TPo, TPm, and TPp) bearing fully sp2-hybridized carbon frameworks. Among the three isomers, TPm efficiently generated 1O2, whereas TPp generated both O2.– and HO. under visible light irradiation, both TPm and TPp efficiently generated ROS to selectively convert 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) into nontoxic 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfoxide (CEESO) in the atmospheric conditions, through a known conversion mechanism. TPm and TPp can also generate 1O2 under ultrasound irradiation. This work provides insight into designing new POP photo- and sono-catalysts to generate ROS in widespread applications.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2021.10.005