Hierarchically porous films for ultrahigh-throughput characterization of chemical exposome in biological fluids

Abstract

Exposome science captures the totality of environmental drivers of human health. However, the comprehensive determination of numerous exogenous and endogenous compounds remains extremely challenging, restricting the purpose of exposome science to characterize both external and internal exposure. Herein, we develop hierarchically porous polymers of intrinsic microporosity (HPPIM) films to achieve ultrahigh-throughput determination of exo/endogenous molecules in biological fluids. The film’s porous properties, including three-stage micro-submicro-nanometer architectures, large specific surface area, and appropriate pore geometry and organophilicity enable fast molecular transport and high trapping capability, therefore achieving ultrahigh-throughput determination of exo/endogenous molecules in biological fluids. Further application in a small-scale cancer study demonstrates the unique advantages of HPPIM films over existing techniques, including broad coverage of analytes, satisfactory trapping efficiency, low-volume demand on specimens, high simplicity and reusability, and drastically reduced financial cost. Our work demonstrates the great potential of HPPIM for advancing exposome science from concept to utility.