An Interpenetrating Porous Organic Polymer as a Precursor for FeP/Fe2 P-Embedded Porous Carbon toward a pH-Universal ORR Catalyst

Porphyrin-based porous organic polymers synthesized using the Alder-Longo method: the most traditional synthetic strategy with exceptional capacity

Porphyrin is a typical tetrapyrrole chromophore-based pigment with a special electronic structure and functionalities, which is frequently introduced into various porous organic polymers (POPs). Porphyrin-based POPs are widely used in various fields ranging from environmental and energy to biomedicine-related fields. Currently, most porphyrin-based POPs are prepared via the copolymerization of specific-group-functionalized porphyrins with other building blocks, in which the tedious and inefficient synthesis procedure for the porphyrin greatly hinders the development of such materials. This review aimed to summarize information on porphyrin-based POPs synthesized using the Alder-Longo method, thereby skipping the complex synthesis of porphyrin-bearing monomers, in which the porphyrin macrocycles are formed directly via the cyclic tetramerization of pyrrole with monomers containing multiple aldehyde groups during the polymerization process. The representative applications of porphyrin-based POPs derived using the Alder-Longo method are finally introduced, which pinpoints a clear relationship between the structure and function from the aspect of the building blocks used and porous structures. This review is therefore valuable for the rational design of efficient porphyrin-based porous organic polymer systems that may be utilized in various fields from energy-related conversion/storage technologies to biomedical science.

Near-infrared active ferrocenyl porous organic polymer with photothermal enhanced enzymatic activity for combination antibacterial application

As a severe ongoing global problem, bacterial contamination exists in every aspect of human life and the search for new antibacterial agents is urgently needed. Herein, a ferrocenyl porous organic polymer (FMC-POP) broad-spectrum antibacterial agent based on synergistic photothermal and peroxidase-like activity was prepared in a facile manner via the copolymerization of ferrocene diformaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde with mannitol through the acid-responsive acetal bond. The photoactive FMC-POP, with high photothermal conversion efficiency (41.45%), could convert not only the near-infrared laser irradiation into local heat to eradicate bacteria, but also low-concentration H2O2 into radical oxygen species (˙OH) that are effective against bacteria. Compared with single-mode photothermal (PTT) and enzymatic therapies, this combination therapy could significantly improve the bactericidal effect, exhibiting a germicidal efficiency of up to 99% (vs. 80.42% for PTT and 70% for enzyme). Thus, our work paves the way for a synergistic non-invasive antimicrobial therapy, which could expand the applications of POP-based artificial enzymes in biomedicine.

N,S-co-doped FeCo Nanoparticles Supported on Porous Carbon Nanofibers as Efficient and Durable Oxygen Reduction Catalysts

Finding high-performance, low-cost, efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) is essential for sustainable energy conversion systems. Herein, highly efficient and durable iron (Fe) and cobalt (Co)-supported nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) co-doped three-dimensional carbon nanofibers (FeCo-N, S@CNFs) were synthesized via electrospinning followed by carbonization. The as-prepared FeCo-N,S@CNFs served as efficient ORR catalysts in alkaline 0.1 m KOH solutions that were N₂ and O₂ -saturated. The experimental results revealed that FeCo-N,S@CNFs were highly active ORR catalysts with defect-rich active pyridinic N and pyrrolic N and metal bonds to N and S atom sites, which enhanced the ORR activity. FeCo-N,S@CNFs exhibited a high onset potential (E_onset =0.89 V) and half-wave potential (E_1/2 =0.85 V), similar to the electrocatalytic activity of commercial Pt/C. Additionally, the durability of the as-prepared FeCo-N,S@CNFs catalysts was maintained for 14 h with long-term stability and high tolerance to methanol stability, accounting for their excellent catalytic ability. Furthermore, Co-N@CNFs, Fe-N@CNFs, and varying Fe and Co ratios were compared with those of FeCo-N,S@CNFs. Synergistic interactions between metals and heteroatoms were believed to play a significant role in enhancing the ORR activity. Owing to their excellent catalytic reduction ability, the as-prepared FeCo-N,S@CNFs can be widely used in battery-based systems and replace commercial Pt/C in fuel cell applications.

Efficient inactivation of intracellular bacteria in dormant amoeba spores by FeP

Waterborne pathogens and related diseases are a severe public health threat worldwide. Recent studies suggest that microbial interactions among infectious agents can significantly disrupt the disinfection processes, and current disinfection methods cannot inactivate intracellular pathogens effectively, posing an emerging threat to the safety of drinking water. This study developed a novel strategy, the FeP/persulfate (PS) system, to effectively inactivate intracellular bacteria within the amoeba spore. We found that the sulfate radical (SO₄^•-) produced by the FeP/PS system can be quickly converted into hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and •OH can penetrate the amoeba spores and inactivate the bacteria hidden inside amoeba spores. Therefore, this study proposes a novel technique to overcome the protective effects of microbial interactions and provides a new direction to inactivate intracellular pathogens efficiently.

Nanosized FeS/ZnS heterojunctions derived using zeolitic imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) for pH-universal oxygen reduction and High-efficiency Zn-air battery

Low-cost, stable, and highly active electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), especially for pH-universal ORR, are vital for developing numerous renewable energy devices. Herein, a hierarchical N, S-codoped porous carbon-based catalyst (ZFP-800) coupled with abundant FeS/ZnS heterojunctions was facilely prepared via direct pyrolysis of a Ferrocene-crosslinked pyrrole hydrogel composited with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) templates. Compared with the heterojunction-free catalytic activity, the ZFP-800 catalytic activity was significantly higher in pH-universal ranges. Moreover, the ZFP-800 exhibited competitive ORR performance to commercial Pt/C (20%) in various electrolytes, in terms of onset (E_onset), half-wave potentials (E_1/2), limiting current density (J_L), durability, and methanol immunity. For instance, it exhibited super ORR catalytic activity on E_onset and E_1/2, and exceeded that of the benchmark Pt/C in both the alkaline and neutral media. Furthermore, the application of ZFP-800 as a cathode catalyst in a home-made Zn-air battery demonstrated its operation capability in ambient conditions with a competitive performance on the specific energy density (828 mA·h·g_Zn^-1), maximum discharge power density (205.6 mW·cm^-2), rate performance, and the long-term stability (188 h at 5 mA·cm^-2). This study can facilitate the development of advanced heterojunction-based materials for renewable energy applications.

Nanosized porous artificial enzyme as a pH-sensitive doxorubicin delivery system for joint enzymatic and chemotherapy towards tumor treatment

A porous spherical artificial nanozyme (HF-900) prepared via pyrolysis of a porous organic polymer was used as drug carrier for efficient loading and highly selective pH-responsive delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) for the tumor joint nanotherapy.

Diselenium-bridged covalent organic framework with pH/GSH/photo-triple-responsiveness for highly controlled drug release toward joint chemo/photothermal/chemodynamic cancer therapy

Here, a novel joint chemo/photothermal/chemodynamic therapy was developed using a pH/GSH/photo triple-responsive 2D-covalent organic framework (COFs) drug carriers for passive target treatment of tumor with extraordinarily high efficiency. The well-designed...

Deep-Breathing Fe-Doped Superstructure Modified by Polyethyleneimine as Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts for Zn-Air Batteries

The development of economical, robust and high active non-precious metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts to replace the precious metal is extremely crucial for the widespread applications of metal-air batteries....

A membrane-free flow electrolyzer operating at high current density using earth-abundant catalysts for water splitting

Electrochemical water splitting is one of the most sustainable approaches for generating hydrogen. Because of the inherent constraints associated with the architecture and materials, the conventional alkaline water electrolyzer and the emerging proton exchange membrane electrolyzer are suffering from low efficiency and high materials/operation costs, respectively. Herein, we design a membrane-free flow electrolyzer, featuring a sandwich-like architecture and a cyclic operation mode, for decoupled overall water splitting. Comprised of two physically-separated compartments with flowing H2-rich catholyte and O2-rich anolyte, the cell delivers H2 with a purity >99.1%. Its low internal ohmic resistance, highly active yet affordable bifunctional catalysts and efficient mass transport enable the water splitting at current density of 750 mA cm-2 biased at 2.1 V. The eletrolyzer works equally well both in deionized water and in regular tap water. This work demonstrates the opportunity of combining the advantages of different electrolyzer concepts for water splitting via cell architecture and materials design, opening pathways for sustainable hydrogen generation.

Phosphorus containing porous organic polymers: synthetic techniques and applications in organic synthesis and catalysis

The phosphorus-containing porous organic polymer is a trending material for the synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts. Decades of investigations have established phosphines as versatile ligands in homogeneous catalysis. Recently, phosphine-based heterogeneous catalysts were synthesized to exploit the same electronic properties while leveraging extra stability and reusability. In the last few decades, the catalysts were applied in diverse organic transformations, including hydroformylation, hydrogenation, C-C, C-N and C-X coupling, hydrosilylation, oxidative-carbonylation reactions, and so on. However, even though these polymers possess a multifunctional character, they face multiple synthetic issues in controlling the pore size, increasing the surface area, and creating a single type of active site. This review summarizes the developments in this field over the last few decades, highlighting the current limitation and future scope.

Ferrocene-crosslinked polypyrrole hydrogel derived Fe–N-doped hierarchical porous carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for pH universal ORR and Zn–air batteries

A Fe–N-doped catalyst (PF-800), prepared via pyrolysis of ferrocene-crosslinked polypyrrole hydrogel, shows impressive activity for ORR in various pH. Further Zn–air battery using PF-800 present high energy density and excellent long-term stability.

Porous Organic Polymers as Fire-Resistant Additives and Precursors for Hyperporous Carbon towards Oxygen Reduction Reactions

Cyclotriphosphazene (CP) based porous organic polymers (POPs) have been designed and prepared. The introduction of CP into the porous skeleton endowed special thermal stability and outstanding flame retardancy to prepared polymers. The nonflammable level of PNK-CMP fabricated via the condensation of 2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)diacetonitrile (DAN) and hexakis(4-acetylphenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (HACTP) through Knoevenagel reaction, in vertical burning tests reached V-2 class (UL-94) and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) reached 20.8 %. When used as additive, PNK-CMP could suppress the dissolving out of PEPA effectively, reducing environment pollution and improving the flame retardant efficiency. The POP and PEPA co-added PU (mPOP%: mPEPA%=5.0 %: 5.0 %) could not be ignited under simulated real-scale fire conditions. The nonflammable level of POP/PEPA/PU in vertical burning tests (UL-94) reached V-0 class with a LOI as high as 23.2 %. The smoke emission could also be suppressed, thus reducing the potential for flame spread and fire hazards. Furthermore, carbonization of PNK-CMP under the activation of KOH yield a hyperporous carbon (PNKA-800) with ultrahigh BET surface area (3001 m2 g-1) and ultramicropore size showing excellent ORR activity in alkaline conditions.

Fe-based species anchored on N-doped carbon nanotubes as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for acidic/neutral/alkaline Zn-air batteries

Exploring efficient and durable bifunctional catalysts in pH-universal media is critical for versatile fuel cells. Herein, Fe-based species anchored on N-doped carbon nanotubes (Fe/Fe₃C@N-C) are used for bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. The composite electrocatalyst exhibits low potential gaps (ΔE, ΔE = E_{j =10} - E _1/2) in a pH-universal environment. The estimated values are about 0.70, 1.07,and 1.10 V in alkaline, neutral, and acidic medias. A neutral Zn-air battery (ZAB) is constructed using an Fe/Fe₃C@N-C composite as the air electrode, which exhibits a favorable performance in energy storage with an open-circuit potential (OCP) of 1.42 V and a high power density of 80 mW cm^-2. The ZAB also has superior cycling stability with only a 0.5% decay after 1200 charge-discharge cycles at 2 mA cm^-2. While the assembled ZAB in acidic media indicates an OCP of 1.40 V, a power density of 23 mW cm^-2, and 612 discharge-charge cycles. The ZAB is rechargeable and has a cycling lifespan of 120 h. This work provides potential applications of Fe/Fe₃C@N-C as air electrodes for advanced pH-universal media based on ZABs for future energy storage devices.

Porous Organic Polymer-Derived Fe2P@N,P-Codoped Porous Carbon as Efficient Electrocatalysts for pH Universal ORR

A new porous organic polymer (CP-CMP) was designed and synthesized via the direct polymerization of pyrrole and hexakis(4-formyl-phenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene, skipping the tedious synthetic procedure of porphyrin-monomers containing special groups. This special porous organic polymer (POP) serves as an "all in one" precursor for C, N, P, and Fe. Direct carbonization of this special POP afforded Fe2P@N,P-codoped porous carbons with hierarchical pore structure and high graphitization. Finally, the optimal catalyst (CP-CMP-900) prepared by carbonization of CP-CMP at 900 °C exhibited high efficiency for oxygen electroreduction. Typically, CP-CMP-900 presented an oxygen reduction reaction half-wave potential (E 1/2) of 0.85, 0.73, and 0.65 V, respectively, in alkaline, neutral, and acidic media, close to those of commercial Pt/C in the same electrolyte (0.843, 0.71, and 0.74 V). Furthermore, it also displayed excellent methanol immunity and long-time stability in various electrolytes better than commercial Pt/C (20%).

A mechanochemically synthesized porous organic polymer derived CQD/chitosan–graphene composite film electrode for electrochemiluminescence determination of dopamine

Herein, we explore a new carbon source for preparation of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with controllable composition using a porous organic polymer (POP) derived porous carbon via a nitric acid oxidation method. The POP used for the preparation of CQDs was synthesized by mechanochemical Friedel–Crafts alkylation under solvent free conditions. Using the as-prepared CQDs, we develop a simple and effective electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection method for dopamine (DA) using a CQD/chitosan–graphene composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Both the electrochemical and ECL behaviors were studied in detail with ammonium persulfate as a coreactant. The complementary structure and synergistic function of the composite give the ECL sensor special properties. Apart from the high stability, it also presents good repeatability and high sensitivity to DA with a wide linear range from 0.06 to 1.6 μM. And a satisfactory detection limit of 0.028 μM (S/N = 3) was achieved for the prepared sensor. Furthermore, the ECL also shows high selectivity toward DA with an excellent interference resistance ability at a high concentration ratio of 100 (C_interference : C_DA = 100). In addition, the ECL sensor was successfully applied for effective detection and quantitative analysis of the actual dopamine in human body fluids for disease diagnosis and pathological studies.

CQDs were obtained from a POP derived porous carbon via nitric acid oxidation. CQDs/CG composite film with special properties were fabricated and used for ECL detection of DA in human body fluids.