Carbanion engineering for highly efficient selective SO₂ capture by ionic liquids based commercializable polymers

Development of alternative ionic liquid‐based porous materials functionalized with active sites for highly efficient selective and reversible SO 2 capture is highly desired. Here, conjugated carbanion ILs based commercializable [N 1111 ][TTFA]@polymer and [N 1111 ][BTFA]@polymer exhibited macroreticular internal structures and macropores (>50 nm) as well as enhanced hydrophobicity. Efficient SO 2 capture (>7 mmol g −1 ), high SO 2 /CO 2 and SO 2 /H 2 O selectivity could be obtained. Adsorption isotherms were correlated using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models. The results of adsorption experiments, FT‐IR spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations suggested that the SO 2 ⋯IL@polymer charge‐transfer quasi‐chemical interaction is the key role for highly efficient selective SO 2 capture. Initial isosteric heat (10–20 kJ mol −1 ) increased with SO 2 loading. To our best knowledge, this is the first example of using conjugated carbanion‐derived IL‐based commercializable polymers for highly efficient selective SO 2 capture. The carbanion engineering strategy opens a door to obtain enhanced hydrophobicity as well as efficient selective SO 2 capture by IL‐based commercializable polymers.