Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants of global concern. This study evaluated the performance of eleven novel, next-generation cyclodextrin polymers (CDPs) for the removal of 13 PFAAs from water. We also evaluated the performance of the two best-performing CDPs alongside granular activated carbon (GAC) and an anion exchange resin (AER) in the absence and presence of water matrix constituents. We identified two next-generation CDPs that exhibit outstanding performance for the removal of PFAAs from water. The two well-performing next-generation CDPs are synthesized with styrenic comonomers with either an ammonium (CDP D2) or phosphonium (CDP E2) functional group. Both CDP D2 and CDP E2 performed well when benchmarked alongside GAC and the AER at an adsorbent dose of 1 mg L 1. The overall trend in performance was CDP E2 > CDP D2 ≈ AER >> GAC. All four adsorbents were found to be influenced to some extent by the presence of matrix constituents. Adsorption inhibition was the greatest in the presence of Ca2+ ions and humic acid for GAC, NO3- and Ca2+ ions for the AER, and SO42- ions for the CDPs. The unique performance of each type of adsorbent confirms unique adsorption mechanisms that result in unique patterns of adsorption inhibition in the presence of matrix constituents. The data in this thesis could be used to develop models to predict the performance of the three types of adsorbents in real water matrices and offer an opportunity to rationally select adsorbents for a specific application.