Cost-effective adsorbents for water treatment is easy available through one-pot Friedel Crafts reaction of triptycene. With hierarchical porous structure, high surface area, high thermal stability, and excellent adsorption capacities for organic solvents and dyes, the triptycene-based hyper-cross-linked polymer sponge (THPS) may be ideal adsorbents for a wide range of large-scale applications in water purification and treatment.