Porphyrin-Based Sorbents for the Enrichment and Removal of Metal Ions.

Porphyrins and their derivatives are excellent materials with specific physical and photochemical properties in medical, chemical, and technological applications. In chemistry, their properties are applied to create new functional materials with specific characteristics, such as porphyrin-based sorbents combined with porous organic polymers, silica, carbon nanostructures, or metal-organic frameworks. This review covers the applications of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins in preparing and using sorbents for metal ion enrichment and their separation. Uncommon applications that utilize specific properties of porphyrins, such as light-enhanced processes and redox properties for selective sorption and photocatalytic conversion of metal ions, are also discussed. These applications suggest new fields of use, such as the removal or recycling of metals from electronic waste or the selective elimination of heavy metals from the environment.