Two-dimensional sandwich-type, graphene-based conjugated microporous polymers

The potential of a graphene-supported porous-organic polymer (POP) for CO2 electrocatalytic reduction

A composite of porous-organic polymer and graphene demonstrates electrocatalytic activity toward CO₂ reduction in aqueous medium.

Cobalt/nitrogen co-doped porous carbon nanosheets as highly efficient catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in both basic and acidic media

Cobalt/nitrogen co-doped porous carbon nanosheets as highly-efficient catalysts for ORR in both basic and acidic electrolytes have been prepared by using cobalt porphyrin based conjugated microporous polymer nanosheet as a precursor.

Conjugated porous polymers as precursors for electrocatalysts and storage electrode materials

Conjugated porous polymers were used as precursors to prepare nitrogen and sulphur doped carbon atoms, which were then used for oxygen reduction and energy storage.

Thiophene-based conjugated microporous polymers: preparation, porosity, exceptional carbon dioxide absorption and selectivity

Thiophene-based conjugated microporous polymers show high CO₂ uptake ability of 756–817 (60 bar/318 K) and good adsorption selectivity for CO₂ over N₂ and CH₄.

Template-directed approach to two-dimensional molybdenum phosphide–carbon nanocomposites with high catalytic activities in the hydrogen evolution reaction

MoP-embedded 2D N-doped porous carbon nanosheets, with excellent electrical conductivity and abundant active sites, achieved high catalytic activity in the HER.

Massive preparation of pitch-based organic microporous polymers for gas storage

Pitch-based hyper-cross-linked polymers preparedviaFriedel–Crafts reaction.

Patterning two-dimensional free-standing surfaces with mesoporous conducting polymers

The ability to pattern functional moieties with well-defined architectures is highly important in material science, nanotechnology and bioengineering. Although two-dimensional surfaces can serve as attractive platforms, direct patterning them in solution with regular arrays remains a major challenge. Here we develop a versatile route to pattern two-dimensional free-standing surfaces in a controlled manner assisted by monomicelle close-packing assembly of block copolymers, which is unambiguously revealed by direct visual observation. This strategy allows for bottom-up patterning of polypyrrole and polyaniline with adjustable mesopores on various functional free-standing surfaces, including two-dimensional graphene, molybdenum sulfide, titania nanosheets and even on one-dimensional carbon nanotubes. As exemplified by graphene oxide-based mesoporous polypyrrole nanosheets, the unique sandwich structure with adjustable pore sizes (5–20 nm) and thickness (35–45 nm) as well as enlarged specific surface area (85 m² g⁻¹) provides excellent specific capacitance and rate performance for supercapacitors. Therefore, this approach will shed light on developing solution-based soft patterning of given interfaces towards bespoke functions.

Solution-state patterning of functional materials on surfaces is important for a number of emerging technologies. Here, the authors demonstrate a bottom-up method of endowing freestanding surfaces with mesoporous conducting polymer coatings for enhanced electrochemical capacitance properties.

Microporous Polymer Networks Made by Cyclotrimerization of Commercial, Aromatic Diisocyanates

The cyclotrimerization of commercial, aromatic diisocyanates allows for the formation of monolithic, microporous polymer networks with S_BET surface areas up to 1300-1500 m²/g. The process has been up-scaled for production of 100 g batches. The monolithic materials show a promising potential for the removal of lipophilic components from aqueous mixtures.

Straightforward Generation of Pillared, Microporous Graphene Frameworks for Use in Supercapacitors

Microporous, pillared graphene-based frameworks are generated in a simple functionalization/coupling procedure starting from reduced graphene oxide. They are used for the fabrication of high-performance supercapacitor devices.

Conjugated microporous polymers with dimensionality-controlled heterostructures for green energy devices

Dimensionality for conjugated micro-porous polymers (CMP-nD, n = 0, 1, 2) is proven to be of great importance for tailoring their photophysical properties. Moreover, CMP-nD can further be converted into boron and nitrogen co-doped porous carbons (nDBN, n = 0, 1, 2) with maintained 0D, 1D, and 2D nano-structures and highly efficient catalytic performance.

PAF-derived nitrogen-doped 3D Carbon Materials for Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage

Owing to the shortage of the traditional fossil fuels caused by fast consumption, it is an urgent task to develop the renewable and clean energy sources. Thus, advanced technologies for both energy conversion (e.g., solar cells and fuel cells) and storage (e.g., supercapacitors and batteries) are being studied extensively. In this work, we use porous aromatic framework (PAF) as precursor to produce nitrogen-doped 3D carbon materials, i.e., N-PAF-Carbon, by exposing NH₃ media. The “graphitic” and “pyridinic” N species, large surface area, and similar pore size as electrolyte ions endow the nitrogen-doped PAF-Carbon with outstanding electronic performance. Our results suggest the N-doping enhance not only the ORR electronic catalysis but also the supercapacitive performance. Actually, the N-PAF-Carbon obtains ~70 mV half-wave potential enhancement and 80% increase as to the limiting current after N doping. Moreover, the N-PAF-Carbon displays free from the CO and methanol crossover effect and better long-term durability compared with the commercial Pt/C benchmark. Moreover, N-PAF-Carbon also possesses large capacitance (385 F g⁻¹) and excellent performance stability without any loss in capacitance after 9000 charge–discharge cycles. These results clearly suggest that PAF-derived N-doped carbon material is promising metal-free ORR catalyst for fuel cells and capacitor electrode materials.

Two-dimensional soft nanomaterials: a fascinating world of materials

The discovery of graphene has triggered great interest in two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials for scientists in chemistry, physics, materials science, and related areas. In the family of newly developed 2D nanostructured materials, 2D soft nanomaterials, including graphene, Bx Cy Nz nanosheets, 2D polymers, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and 2D supramolecular organic nanostructures, possess great advantages in light-weight, structural control and flexibility, diversity of fabrication approaches, and so on. These merits offer 2D soft nanomaterials a wide range of potential applications, such as in optoelectronics, membranes, energy storage and conversion, catalysis, sensing, biotechnology, etc. This review article provides an overview of the development of 2D soft nanomaterials, with special highlights on the basic concepts, molecular design principles, and primary synthesis approaches in the context.

Well-defined two dimensional covalent organic polymers: rational design, controlled syntheses, and potential applications

Recent developments in the design, synthesis and application of 2D covalent organic polymers are reviewed, along with some perspectives and challenges.

Hierarchically structured porous organic polymer microspheres with built-in Fe3O4 supraparticles: construction of dual-level pores for Pt-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation

A magnetic responsive, dual-pore-distributed, and hyper-crosslinking polymer composite microsphere is synthesized and inlaid with platinum nanoparticles for enantioselective catalytic hydrogenation.

Nitrogen-enriched hierarchically porous carbon materials fabricated by graphene aerogel templated Schiff-base chemistry for high performance electrochemical capacitors

This article presents a facile approach for synthesizing 3D nitrogen-enriched hierarchically porous carbon materials via graphene aerogel templated Schiff-base chemistry.

Hypercrosslinked porous polymer nanosheets: 2D RAFT agent directed emulsion polymerization for multifunctional applications

2D hyper-cross-linked microporous polymers (2D HCPs) were synthesized by emulsion polymerization using trithiocarbonate functionalized graphene oxide as 2D macromolecular CTA.

Sulfur-doped porous carbon nanosheets as high performance electrocatalysts for PhotoFuelCells

New sulfur-doped highly porous carbon nanosheets applicable as electrocatalysts in PhotoFuelCells.

Hanoi tower-like multilayered ultrathin palladium nanosheets

This paper describes the synthesis, formation mechanism, and mechanical property of multilayered ultrathin Pd nanosheets. An anisotropic, Hanoi Tower-like assembly of Pd nanosheets was identified by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These nanosheets may contain ultrathin Pd layers, down to single unit cell thickness. Selected area electron diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy data show the interconnected atomically thick layers stacking vertically with rotational mismatches, resulting in unique diffractions and Moiré patterns. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation with van der Waals correction (DFT+vdW) shows the adsorption of Pd4(CO)4(OAc)4 on Pd(110) surface (Ead = -5.68 eV) is much stronger than that on Pd(100) (Ead = -4.72 eV) or on Pd(111) (Ead = -3.80 eV). The adsorption strength of this Pd complex is significantly stronger than that of CO on the same Pd surfaces. The DFT+vdW calculation results suggest a new mechanism for the observed anisotropic growth of nanosheets with unusually high aspect ratio, in which the competitive adsorptions between Pd4(CO)4(OAc)4 complex and CO on various surfaces result in a favored growth along the ⟨110⟩ directions and inhibition along ⟨111⟩ directions. The mechanical property of these multilayered Pd nanosheets was studied using AFM and nanoindentation techniques, which indicate multilayered nanosheets show more plastic deformation than the bulk in response to an applied force.

Graphene coupled Schiff-base porous polymers: towards nitrogen-enriched porous carbon nanosheets with ultrahigh electrochemical capacity

Schiff-base type porous polymer sheets with ultrahigh nitrogen content have been successfully synthesized by utilizing aminated graphene oxide as a 2D structure-directing template via dynamic covalent chemistry. Nitrogen-enriched porous carbon nanosheets were thus prepared by thermal pyrolysis of the 2D porous polymers, showing exceptionally high capacitance up to 424 F g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) in 6 m KOH, superior to that of porous carbons without graphene involved.