Design and Synthesis of Polyimide Covalent Organic Frameworks

Constructing Highly Emissive Covalent Organic Frameworks for Fe3+ Ion Detection via Wall Function

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent a new type of crystalline porous polymers that possess pre-designed skeletons, uniform nanopores, and ordered π structure. These attributes make them well-suited for the design of light-emitting materials. However, the majority of COFs exhibits poor luminescence due to aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), resulting from the strong interaction between adjacent layers. To break the limitation, the building units with three methoxy groups on the walls are used to construct TM-OMe-EBTHz-COF, which suppresses the ACQ effects to improve light-emitting activity of COF. The TM-OMe-EBTHz-COF exhibits a notable emission of yellow-green luminescence in the solid state, with a remarkably high absolute quantum yield of 21.1%. The methoxy groups and hydrazine linkage form three coordination sites, contributing to excellent performance in metal ions sensing. The TM-OMe-EBTHz-COF demonstrates high sensitivity and selectivity to Fe3+ ion. Importantly, the low detection limit is below 150 nanomolar, ranking it among the best-performing Fe3+ sensor systems.

A convenient functionalization strategy of polyimide covalent organic frameworks for uranium-containing wastewater treatment and uranium recovery

The purpose of this research was to design and synthesize an adsorbent based on polyimide covalent organic frameworks (PICOFs) for uranium-containing wastewater treatment and uranium recovery. A modified solvothermal method was innovatively proposed to synthesize PICOFs with high specific surface area (1998.5 m2 g-1) and regular pore structure. Additionally, a convenient functionalization strategy of PICOFs was designed through polydopamine (PDA) and a well-dispersed polymer (MPC-co-AO) containing multiple functional groups, forming stable composite (PMCA-TPPICOFs) in which the hydrogen bonding and cation-π interactions between PDA and MPC-co-AO played a key role. The obtained PMCA-TPPICOFs as an adsorbent exhibited strong selectivity for uranyl ions (maximum adsorption capacity was 538 mg g-1). In simulated wastewater with low uranium concentrations, the removal rate reached 98.3%, and the concentration of treated simulated wastewater met discharge standards. Moreover, PMCA-TPPICOFs was suitable for fixed-bed column adsorption because of its favorable structure. According to the research about adsorption mechanism, the adsorption primarily relied on electrostatic interaction and complexation. In summary, PMCA-TPPICOFs exhibited good potential for uranium-containing wastewater treatment, expanding the application of PICOFs. And the proposed functionalization strategy and modified solvothermal method may promote research in the fields of material functionalization and COFs synthesis. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Uranium is a raw material for nuclear energy applications, which is toxic and radioactive. If uranium is discharged with wastewater, it would not only pose a threat to the environmental protection and life safety, but also cause the loss of precious nuclear raw materials. Although adsorption was considered to be an effective way to remove uranium, many of the developed adsorbents were difficult to apply due to the harsh wastewater environment and complex preparation processes. This study reported a novel adsorbent and a new functionalization strategy, which was expected to solve the problem of uranium recovery in wastewater.

A Novel Hydrophobic Polyimide Film with Sag Structure Derived from Multi-Hybrid Strategy

Polyimide (PI) film with hydrophilic greatly limits their application in the field of microelectronic device packaging. A novel hydrophobic PI film with sag structure and improved mechanical properties is prepared relying on the reaction between anhydride-terminated isocyanate-based polyimide (PIY) containing a seven-membered ring structure and the amino-terminated polyamide acid (PAA) via multi-hybrid strategy, this work named it as hybrid PI film and marked it as PI-PIY-X. PI-PIY-30 showed excellent hydrophobic properties, and the water contact angle could reach to 102°, which is 20% and 55% higher than simply PI film and PIY film, respectively. The water absorption is only 1.02%, with a decrease of 49% and 53% compared with PI and PIY. Due to that the degradation of seven-membered ring and generation of carbon dioxide led to the formation of sag structure, the size of sag structures is ≈16.84 and 534.55 nm for in-plane and out-plane direction, which are observed on surface of PI-PIY-30. Meanwhile, PI-PIY-30 possessed improved mechanical properties, and the tensile strength is 109.08 MPa, with 5% and more than 56% higher than that of pure PI and PIY film, showing greatly application prospects in the field of integrated circuit.

Polyimide covalent organic frameworks bearing star-shaped electron-deficient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon building blocks: molecular innovations for energy conversion and storage

Polyimide covalent organic frameworks (PI-COFs) are outstanding functional materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage owing to their integrated advantages of the high electroactive feature of polyimides and the periodic porous structure of COFs. Nevertheless, only anhydride monomers with C2 symmetry are generally used, and limited selectivity of electron-deficient monomers has become a major obstacle in the development of materials. The introduction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a very effective method to regulate the structure-activity relationship of PI-COFs due to their excellent stability and electrical properties. Over the past two years, various star-shaped electron-deficient PAH building blocks possessing different compositions and topologies have been successfully fabricated, greatly improving the monomer selectivity and electrochemical performances of PI-COFs. This paper systematically summarizes the recent highlights in PI-COFs based on these building blocks. Firstly, the preparation of anhydride (or phthalic acid) monomers and PI-COFs related to different star-shaped PAHs is presented. Secondly, the applications of these PI-COFs in energy conversion and storage and the corresponding factors influencing their performance are discussed in detail. Finally, the future development of this meaningful field is briefly proposed.

Continuous Covalent Organic Frameworks Membranes: From Preparation Strategies to Applications

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are porous crystalline polymeric materials formed by the covalent bonding of organic units. The abundant organic units library gives the COFs species diversity, easily tuned pore channels, and pore sizes. In addition, the periodic arrangement of organic units endows COFs regular and highly connected pore channels, which has led to the rapid development of COFs in membrane separations. Continuous defect-free and high crystallinity of COF membranes is the key to their application in separations, which is the most important issue to be addressed in the research. This review article describes the linkage types of covalent bonds, synthesis methods, and pore size regulation strategies of COFs materials. Further, the preparation strategies of continuous COFs membranes are highlighted, including layer-by-layer (LBL) stacking, in situ growth, interfacial polymerization (IP), and solvent casting. The applications in separation fields of continuous COFs membranes are also discussed, including gas separation, water treatment, organic solvent nanofiltration, ion conduction, and energy battery membranes. Finally, the research results are summarized and the future prospect for the development of COFs membranes are outlined. More attention may be paid to the large-scale preparation of COFs membranes and the development of conductive COFs membranes in future research.

Large-Scale Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks: Challenges and Opportunities

Connecting organic building blocks by covalent bonds to design porous crystalline networks has led to covalent organic frameworks (COFs), consequently transferring the flexibility of dynamic linkages from discrete architectures to extended structures. By virtue of the library of organic building blocks and the diversity of dynamic linkages and topologies, COFs have emerged as a novel field of organic materials that propose a platform for tailor-made complex structural design. Progress over the past two decades in the design, synthesis, and functional exploration of COFs in diverse applications successively established these frameworks in materials chemistry. The large-scale synthesis of COFs with uniform structures and properties is of profound importance for commercialization and industrial applications; however, this is in its infancy at present. An innovative designing and synthetic approaches have paved novel ways to address future hurdles. This review article highlights the fundamental of COFs, including designing principles, coupling reactions, topologies, structural diversity, synthetic strategies, characterization, growth mechanism, and activation aspects of COFs. Finally, the major challenges and future trends for large-scale COF fabrication are outlined.

Synthesis of Furan-Based Diamine and Its Application in the Preparation of Bio-Based Polyimide

Furan-based compounds are a new class of compounds characteristic of wide abundance, feasible availability, and environmental friendliness. Presently, polyimide (PI) is the best membrane insulation material in the world, which is widely used in the fields of national defense, liquid crystals, lasers, and so on. At present, most polyimides are synthesized using petroleum-based monomers bearing benzene rings, while furan-based compounds bearing furan rings are rarely used as monomers. The production of petroleum-based monomers is always associated with many environmental issues, and their substitution with furan-based compounds seems a solution to addressing these issues. In this paper, t-butoxycarbonylglycine (BOC-glycine) and 2,5-furandimethanol, bearing furan rings, were employed to synthesize BOC-glycine 2,5-furandimethyl ester, which was further applied for the synthesis of furan-based diamine. This diamine is generally used to synthesize bio-based PI. Their structures and properties were thoroughly characterized. The characterization results showed that BOC-glycine could be effectively obtained using different posttreatment methods. And BOC-glycine 2,5-furandimethyl ester could be effectively obtained by optimizing the accelerating agent of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide(DCC) with either 1.25 mol/L or 1.875 mol/L as the optimum value. The PIs originated from furan-based compounds were synthesized and their thermal stability and surface morphology were further characterized. Although the obtained membrane was slightly brittle (mostly due to the less rigidity of furan ring as compared with benzene ring), the excellent thermal stability and smooth surface endow it a potential substitution for petroleum-based polymers. And the current research is also expected to shed some insight into the design and the fabrication of eco-friendly polymers.

Application of fully conjugated covalent organic frameworks in photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction performance

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide into useful feedstocks has attracted increasing attention. In this study, a fully conjugated COF material COF-TMT-A with the main structure containing an alkyne group and triazine part was synthesized using sp²-carbon-carbon double bond (CC) linked COF as a research target. The prepared COF materials were characterized in detail by FT-IR, PXRD, and ¹³C solid-state NMR. The introduction of an alkyne group not only enhanced the conjugated π-electron leaving domain but also optimized the electronic band structure and significantly improved the photocatalytic activity. The selectivity for the product HCOO was as high as 99%. A 10 h photocatalytic CO₂ reduction experiment was carried out, and COF-TMT-A showed a significantly higher HCOO^- yield of about 43 μmol compared with COF-701 and the ligand.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs): a promising CO2 capture candidate material

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging kind of porous crystal material.

Highly Crystalline Polyimide Covalent Organic Framework as Dual-Active-Center Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Polyimide covalent organic framework (PI-COF) materials that can realize intrinsic redox reactions by changing the charge state of their electroactive sites are considered as emerging electrode materials for rechargeable devices. However, the highly crystalline PI-COFs with hierarchical porosity are less reported due to the rapid reaction between monomers and the poor reversibility of the polyimidization reaction. Here, we developed a water-assistant synthetic strategy to adjust the reaction rate of polyimidization, and PI-COF (COF_TPDA-PMDA) with kgm topology consisting of dual active centers of N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)-1,4-benzenediamine (TPDA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) ligands was successfully synthesized with high crystallinity and porosity. The COF_TPDA-PMDA possesses hierarchical micro-/mesoporous channels with the largest surface area (2669 m²/g) in PI-COFs, which can promote the Li⁺ ions and bulky bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI^-) ions in organic electrolyte to sufficiently interact with the dual active sites on COF skeleton to increase the specific capacity of cathode materials. As a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, COF_TPDA-PMDA@50%CNT which integrated high surface area and dual active center of COF_TPDA-PMDA with carbon nanotubes via π-π interactions gave a high initial charge capacity of 233 mAh/g (0.5 A/g) and maintains at 80 mAh/g even at a high current density of 5.0 A/g after 1800 cycles.

Redox-active polyimides for energy conversion and storage: from synthesis to application

As the demand for next-generation electronics is increasing, organic and polymer-based semiconductors are in the spotlight as suitable materials owing to their tailorable structures along with flexible properties. Especially, polyimide (PI) has been widely utilised in electronics because of its outstanding mechanical and thermal properties and chemical resistance originating from its crystallinity, conjugated structure and π-π interactions. PI has recently been receiving more attention in the energy storage and conversion fields due to its unique redox activity and charge transfer complex structure. In this review, we focus on the design of PI structures with improved electrochemical and photocatalytic activities for use as redox-active materials in photo- and electrocatalysts, batteries and supercapacitors. We anticipate that this review will offer insight into the utilisation of redox-active PI-based polymeric materials for the development of future electronics.

Synthesis of a Novel Rigid Semi-Alicyclic Dianhydride and Its Copolymerized Transparent Polyimide Films' Properties

A new series of colorless polyimides (CPIs) with outstanding thermal properties and mechanical properties were fabricated by the copolymerization of a novel dianhydride and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) with 2,2′-bistrifluoromethyl benzidine (TFDB). The novel dianhydride, 10-oxo-9-phenyl-9-(trifluoromethyl)-9,10-dihydroanthracene-2,3,6,7-tetraacid dianhydride (3FPODA), possessed a rigid semi-alicyclic structure, –CF₃ and phenyl side groups, and an active carbonyl group. Benefitting from the special structure of 3FPODA, the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the new CPIs improved from 330 °C to 377 °C, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) decreased from 46 ppm/K to 24 ppm/K, and the tensile strength (T_S), tensile modulus (T_M), and elongation at break (E_B) increased from 84 MPa to 136 MPa, 3.2 GPa to 4.4 GPa, and 2.94% to 4.13% with the increasing amount of 3FPODA, respectively. Moreover, the active carbonyl group of the 3FPODA could enhance the CPI’s adhesive properties. These results render the new dianhydride 3FPODA an ideal candidate monomer for the fabrication of high-performance CPIs.

Molecular mechanisms of the antibacterial activity of polyimide fibers in a skin-wound model with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial infection in vivo

Recently, the need for antibacterial dressings has amplified because of the increase of traumatic injuries. However, there is still a lack of ideal, natural antibacterial dressings that show an efficient antibacterial property with no toxicity. Polyimide (PI) used as an implantable and flexible material has been recently reported as a mixture of particles showing more desirable antibacterial properties. However, we have identified a novel type of natural polyimide (PI) fiber that revealed antibacterial properties by itself for the first time. The PI fiber material is mainly composed of C, N, and O, and contains a small amount of Ca and Cl; the characteristic peaks of polyimide appear at 1774 cm-1, 1713 cm-1, 1370 cm-1, 1087 cm-1, and 722 cm-1. PI fibers displayed significant antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (as a Gram-negative bacteria model) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, as a Gram-positive bacteria model) according to the time-kill kinetics in vitro, and PI fibers damaged both bacterial cell walls directly. PI fibers efficiently ameliorated a local infection in vivo, inhibited the bacterial burden, decreased infiltrating macrophages, and accelerated wound healing in an E. coli- or MRSA-infected wound model. In conclusion, PI fibers used in the present study may act as potent antibacterial dressings protecting from MRSA or E. coli infections and as promising candidates for antimicrobial materials for trauma and surgical applications.

Surface-Fabrication of Fluorescent Hydroxyapatite for Cancer Cell Imaging and Bio-Printing Applications

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) materials are widely applied as biomedical materials due to their stable performance, low cost, good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Here, a green, fast and efficient strategy was designed to construct a fluorescent nanosystem for cell imaging and drug delivery based on polyethyleneimine (PEI) and functionalized HAP via simple physical adsorption. First, HAP nanorods were functionalized with riboflavin sodium phosphate (HE) to provide them with fluorescence properties based on ligand-exchange process. Next, PEI was attached on the surface of HE-functionalized HAP (HAP-HE@PEI) via electrostatic attraction. The fluorescent HAP-HE@PEI nanosystem could be rapidly taken up by NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells and successfully applied to for cell imaging. Additionally, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) containing HAP-HE@PEI with high loading capacity was prepared, and in-vitro release results show that the maximum release of DOX at pH 5.4 (31.83%) was significantly higher than that at pH 7.2 (9.90%), which can be used as a drug delivery tool for cancer therapy. Finally, HAP-HE@PEI as the 3D inkjet printing ink were printed with GelMA hydrogel, showing a great biocompatible property for 3D cell culture of RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Altogether, because of the enhanced affinity with the cell membrane of HAP-HE@PEI, this green, fast and efficient strategy may provide a prospective candidate for bio-imaging, drug delivery and bio-printing.

Progress in Aromatic Polyimide Films for Electronic Applications

Aromatic polyimides have excellent thermal stability, mechanical strength and toughness, high electric insulating properties, low dielectric constants and dissipation factors, and high radiation and wear resistance, among other properties, and can be processed into a variety of materials, including films, fibers, carbon fiber composites, engineering plastics, foams, porous membranes, coatings, etc. Aromatic polyimide materials have found widespread use in a variety of high-tech domains, including electric insulating, microelectronics and optoelectronics, aerospace and aviation industries, and so on, due to their superior combination characteristics and variable processability. In recent years, there have been many publications on aromatic polyimide materials, including several books available to readers. In this review, the representative progress in aromatic polyimide films for electronic applications, especially in our laboratory, will be described.

Direct and Linker-Exchange Alcohol-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of Imide-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an extensively studied class of porous materials, which distinguish themselves from other porous polymers in their crystallinity and high degree of modularity, enabling a wide range of applications. However, the established synthetic protocols for the synthesis of stable and crystalline COFs, such as imide-linked COFs, often requires the use of high boiling solvents and toxic catalysts, making their synthesis expensive and environmentally harmful. Herein, we report a new environmentally friendly strategy-an alcohol-assisted hydrothermal polymerization approach (aaHTP) for the synthesis of a wide range of crystalline and porous imide-linked COFs. This method allows us to gain access to new COFs and to avoid toxic solvents by up to 90% through substituting commonly used organic solvent mixtures with water and small amounts of n-alcohols without being restricted to water-soluble linker molecules. Additionally, we use the aaHTP to demonstrate an eco-friendly COF-to-COF transformation of an imine-linked COF into a novel imide-linked COF via linkage replacement, inaccessible using published reaction conditions.

Controlled Synthesis of Mesoporous π-Conjugated Polymer Nanoarchitectures as Anode for Lithium-ions Battery

Conjugated polymers possess better electron conductivity due to large π-electron conjugated configuration endowing them significant scientific and technological interest. However, the obvious deficiency of active-site underutilization impairs their electrochemical performance. Therefore, designing and engineering π-conjugated polymers with rich redox functional groups and mesoporous architectures could offer new opportunities for them in these emerging applications and further expand their application scopes. Herein, a series of 1, 3, 5-tris(4-aminophenyl) benzene (TAPB)-based π-conjugated mesoporous polymers (π-CMPs) are constructed by one-pot emulsion-induced interface assembly strategy. Furthermore, co-induced in-situ polymerization on 2D interfaces by emulsion and micelle is explored, which delivered sandwiched 2D mesoporous π-CMPs coated graphene oxides (GO@mPTAPB). Benefiting from specific redox-active functional groups, excellent electron conductivity and 2D mesoporous conjugated framework, GO@mPTAPB exhibits high capability of accommodating Li⁺ anions (up to 382 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 A g^-1 ) and outstanding electrochemical stability (87.6% capacity retention after 1000 cycles). The ex-situ Raman and impedance spectrum are further applied to reveal the high reversibility of GO@mPTAPB. This work will greatly promote the development of advanced π-CMPs-based organic anodes towards energy storage devices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Crosslinked porous polyimides: structure, properties and applications

Porous polyimides (pPIs) represent a fascinating class of porous organic polymers (POPs). Here the properties and functions of amorphous and crystalline pPIs are reviewed, and applications contributing to solutions to global challenges highlighted.

Porous framework-based hybrid materials for solar-to-chemical energy conversion: from powder photocatalysts to photoelectrodes

Porous framework materials such as metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) can be considered promising materials for solar-to-chemical energy conversion.