Hierarchical Porous Composite Carbon Microsphere Superstructures Based on D-p Orbital Hybridization for Efficient Capture of Low-Concentration Cs+

The limitation of diffusion kinetics affects the adsorption performance of porous materials. Hierarchical porous structure is one of the effective strategies to solve this problem. However, it is a challenge to construct macro-microporous orderly hierarchical structures to maximize material performance. In this work, three orderly hierarchical porous composite carbon microsphere superstructures are prepared self-assembled from nanoscale primary particles by microfluidic technology, which overcame the kinetic limitation and enhanced the adsorption performance. The surface microenvironment of these superstructures is regulated by different transition metals with varying numbers of d-orbital electrons. These hierarchical pore structures and effective d-p orbital hybridization enabled the composite carbon microsphere superstructures to efficiently capture low-concentration cesium ions, of which the highest adsorption capacity is 5 times that of non-metal carbon microsphere superstructures. This strategy provides a potential approach for precisely controlling the surface microenvironment of materials.