Compositions are provided for binding mercury based in porous organic polymers having (i) a plurality of repeat units having heavy metal chelator moieties covalently attached thereto and (ii) a plurality of pores having a hierarchical pore size distribution over a range of pore sizes. In some aspects, the range of pore sizes is about 5 nm to 10 nm. The compositions can have a maximum mercury uptake capacity of 1,000 mg g-1 to 2,000 mg g-1 at 1 atm and 296 Kand has a mercury uptake capacity that is stable and recyclable. Methods of making the compositions and methods of using the compositions for uptake of mercury are also provided.Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Energy & Environment
