Protonation-Assisted Exfoliation of N-Containing 2D Conjugated Polymers

Recent advances in two-dimensional polymers: synthesis, assembly and energy-related applications

Two-dimensional polymers (2DPs) are a class of 2D crystalline polymer materials with definite structures, which have outstanding physical-chemical and electronic properties. They cleverly link organic building units through strong covalent bonds and can construct functional 2DPs through reasonable design and selection of different monomer units to meet various application requirements. As promising energy materials, 2DPs have developed rapidly in recent years. This review first introduces the basic overview of 2DPs, such as their historical development, inherent 2D characteristics and diversified topological advantages, followed by the summary of the typical 2DP synthesis methods recently (including "top-down" and "bottom-up" methods). The latest research progress in assembly and processing of 2DPs and the energy-related applications in energy storage and conversion are also discussed. Finally, we summarize and prospect the current research status, existing challenges, and future research directions of 2DPs.

A simple and efficient process for the synthesis of 2D carbon nitrides and related materials

We describe here a new process for the synthesis of very high quality 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), such a C2N and CN carbon nitrides. This process relies on the use of a metallic surface as both a reagent and a support for the coupling of small halogenated building blocks. The conditions of the assembly reaction are chosen so as to leave the inorganic salts by-products on the surface, to further confine the assembly reaction on the surface and increase the quality of the 2D layers. We found that under these conditions, the process directly returns few layers material. The structure/quality of these materials is demonstrated by extensive cross-characterizations at different scales, combining optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The availability of such very large, high-quality layers of these materials opens interesting perspectives, for example in photochemistry and electronics (intrinsic transport properties, high gap substrate for graphene, etc...).

Synthesis and up-to-date applications of 2D microporous g-C3N4 nanomaterials for sustainable development

In recent years, with the development of industrial technology and the increase of people's environmental awareness, the research on sustainable materials and their applications has become a hot topic. Among two-dimensional (2D) materials that have been selected for sustainable research, graphitic phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has become a hot research topic because of its many outstanding advantages such as simple preparation, good electrochemical properties, excellent photochemical properties, and better thermal stability. Nevertheless, the inherent limitations of g-C3N4 due to its relatively poor specific surface area, rapid charge recombination, limited light absorption range, and inferior dispersion in aqueous and organic media have limited its practical application. In the review, we summarize and analyze the unique structure of the 2D microporous nanomaterial g-C3N4, its synthesis method, chemical modification method, and the latest application examples in various fields in recent years, highlighting its advantages and shortcomings, with a view to providing ideas for overcoming the difficulties in its application. Furthermore, the pressing challenges faced by g-C3N4 are briefly discussed, as well as an outlook on the application prospects of g-C3N4 materials. It is expected that the review in this paper will provide more theoretical strategies for the future practical application of g-C3N4-based materials, as well as contributing to nanomaterials in sustainable applications.

Intramolecular hydroxyl nucleophilic attack pathway by a polymeric water oxidation catalyst with single cobalt sites

Exploration of efficient water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) is the primary challenge in conversion of renewable energy into fuels. Here we report a molecularly well-defined heterogeneous WOC with Aza-fused, π-conjugated, microporous polymer (Aza-CMP) coordinated single cobalt sites (Aza-CMP-Co). The single cobalt sites in Aza-CMP-Co exhibited superior activity under alkaline and near-neutral conditions. Moreover, the molecular nature of the isolated catalytic sites makes Aza-CMP-Co a reliable model for studying the heterogeneous water oxidation mechanism. By a combination of experimental and theoretical results, a pH-dependent nucleophilic attack pathway for O-O bond formation was proposed. Under alkaline conditions, the intramolecular hydroxyl nucleophilic attack (IHNA) process with which the adjacent -OH group nucleophilically attacks Co4+=O was identified as the rate-determining step. This process leads to lower activation energy and accelerated kinetics than those of the intermolecular water nucleophilic attack (WNA) pathway. This study provides significant insights into the crucial function of electrolyte pH in water oxidation catalysis and enhancement of water oxidation activity by regulation of the IHNA pathway.

2D Polymer Nanosheets for Membrane Separation

Since the discovery of single-layer graphene in 2004, the family of 2D inorganic nanosheets is considered as ideal membrane materials due to their ultrathin atomic thickness and fascinating physicochemical properties. However, the intrinsically nonporous feature of 2D inorganic nanosheets hinders their potential to achieve a higher flux to some extent. Recently, 2D polymer nanosheets, originated from the regular and periodic covalent connection of the building units in 2D plane, have emerged as promising candidates for preparing ultrafast and highly selective membranes owing to their inherently tunable and ordered pore structure, light weight, and high specific surface. In this review, the synthetic methodologies (including top-down and bottom-up methods) of 2D polymer nanosheets are first introduced, followed by the summary of 2D polymer nanosheets-based membrane fabrication as well as membrane applications in the fields of gas separation, water purification, organic solvent separation, and ion exchange/transport in fuel cells and lithium-sulfur batteries. Finally, based on their current achievements, the authors' personal insights are put forward into the existing challenges and future research directions of 2D polymer nanosheets for membrane separation. The authors believe this comprehensive review on 2D polymer nanosheets-based membrane separation will definitely inspire more studies in this field.

Recent developments in architecturing the g-C3N4 based nanostructured photocatalysts: Synthesis, modifications and applications in water treatment

Water pollution is becoming an inevitable problem in today's world. Tons and tons of wastewater with hazardous pollutants are getting discharged into the clean water bodies every day. In this regard, photocatalytic environmental remediation using nanotechnology such as the use of organic, metal and non-metal based semiconductor photocatalysts for photodegradation of pollutants has gained enormous attention in the past few decades. This review is focused particularly on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) which is a cheap, metal-free, polymeric photoactive compound and it is used as a potential photocatalyst in wastewater treatment. Though, pristine g-C₃N₄ is a good photocatalyst, it has certain drawbacks such as poor visible light absorption capacity, quicker recombination of photoelectrons and holes, delayed mass and charge transfer, etc. As a result, the pristine g-C₃N₄ catalyst is modified into novel 0D, 1D, 2D and 3D morphologies such as nano-quantum dots, nanorods, nanotubes, nanowires, nanosheets, nanoflakes, nanospheres, nanoshells, etc. It was also tailored into novel composites along with various compounds through doping, metal deposition, heterojunction formation, etc., to enhance the photocatalytic property of pure g-C₃N₄. The modified catalysts showed promising photocatalytic performance such as degradation of majority of pollutants in the environment. It also showed excellent results in the removal or reduction of heavy metals. This review provides a detailed record of g-C₃N₄ and its diverse photocatalytic applications in the past years and it provides knowledge for the development of such similar novel compounds in the future.

High-Strength, Microporous, Two-Dimensional Polymer Thin Films with Rigid Benzoxazole Linkage

Two-dimensional (2D) rigid polymers provide an opportunity to translate the high-strength, high-modulus mechanical performance of classic rigid-rod 1D polymers across a plane by extending covalent bonding into two dimensions while simultaneously reducing density due to microporosity by structural design. Thus far, this potential has remained elusive because of the challenge of producing high-quality 2D polymer thin films, particularly those with irreversible, rigid benzazole linkages. Here, we present a facile two-step process that allows the deposition of a uniform intermediate film network via reversible, non-covalent interactions, followed by a subsequent solid-state annealing step that facilitates the irreversible conversion to a 2D covalently bonded polymer product with benzoxazole linkages. We demonstrate the versatility of this synthesis method by producing films with four different aromatic core units. The resulting films show microporosity and anisotropy with a 2D layered structure that can be exfoliated into few-layer nanosheets using a freeze-thaw method. These films have promising mechanical properties with an in-plane ultimate tensile strength of nearly 40 MPa and axial tensile and transverse compressive elastic moduli on the scale of several GPa, rivaling the performance of solution-cast films of 1D polybenzoxazole, as well as several other 1D high-strength polymer films.

Emerging Two-Dimensional Covalent and Coordination Polymers for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries: From Liquid to Solid

Lithium metal anodes (LMAs) have attracted much attention in recent years because of their high theoretical capacity (3860 mAh g^-1) and low electrochemical potential (-3.040 V vs standard hydrogen electrode). Lithium metal can be coupled with various cathodes to construct high-energy-density lithium metal batteries (LMBs) which hold great promise for next-generation batteries. However, the unstable solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) and the uncontrollable lithium dendrite growth severely hinder the commercial development of LMAs. The emerging 2D polymers (2DPs), which possess high mechanical flexibility, high specific surface area, abundant surface chemistry, and rich chemical modification characteristics, have shown great advantages in addressing the inherent issues of LMAs. Herein, the current progress of 2DPs for stable and dendrite-free LMAs in liquid- and solid-based batteries is comprehensively reviewed. Some perspectives for the application of 2DPs in LMBs are also discussed. It is believed that the emerging 2DPs will provide insights into developing high-energy-density LMBs and beyond.

Molecular Engineering of Covalent Organic Framework Cathodes for Enhanced Zinc-Ion Batteries

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are potentially promising electrode materials for electrochemical charge storage applications thanks to their pre-designable reticular chemistry with atomic precision, allowing precise control of pore size, redox-active functional moieties, and stable covalent frameworks. However, studies on the mechanistic and practical aspects of their zinc-ion storage behavior are still limited. In this study, a strategy to enhance the electrochemical performance of COF cathodes in zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) by introducing the quinone group into 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene-based COFs is reported. Electrochemical characterization demonstrates that the introduction of the quinone groups in the COF significantly pushes up the Zn²⁺ storage capability against H⁺ and elevates the average (dis-)charge potential in aqueous ZIBs. Computational and experimental analysis further reveals the favorable redox-active sites that host Zn²⁺ /H⁺ in COF electrodes and the root cause for the enhanced electrochemical performance. This work demonstrates that molecular engineering of the COF structure is an effective approach to achieve practical charge storage performance.

Capturing Visible Light in Low-Band-Gap C4 N-Derived Responsive Bifunctional Air Electrodes for Solar Energy Conversion and Storage

We report facile synthesis of low-band-gap mesoporous C₄ N particles and their use as responsive bifunctional oxygen catalysts for visible-light-sensitive (VLS) rechargeable Zn-air battery (RZAB) and polymer-air battery (RPAB). Compared to widely studied g-C₃ N₄ , C₄ N shows a smaller band gap of 1.99 eV, with a larger photocurrent response, and it can function as visible-light-harvesting antenna and bifunctional oxygen reduction/evolution (ORR/OER) catalysts, enabling effective photocoupling to tune oxygen catalysis. The C₄ N-enabled VLS-RZAB displays a low charge voltage of 1.35 V under visible light, which is below the theoretical RZAB voltage of 1.65 V, corresponding to a high energy efficiency of 97.78 %. Pairing a C₄ N cathode with a polymer anode also endows an VLS-RPAB with light-boosted charge performance. It is revealed that the ORR and OER active sites in C₄ N are separate carbon sites near pyrazine-nitrogen atoms and photogenerated energetic holes can activate OER for improved reaction kinetics.

C-C Coupling Reactions for the Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Conjugated Polymers

Extension of conjugated polymers from 1D to 2D can not only significantly enhance the dissociation of charge and excitons, but also induce other advantages, such as high in-plane mechanical strength, large specific surface area and porosity, and more active centers. 2D conjugated polymers can be divided into C-C bonded 2D polymers based on C-C coupling reactions, and heteroatomic bonded 2D polymers based on reversible heteroatom coupling reactions. C-C bonded 2D polymers are generally more stable than heteroatomic bonded 2D polymers as the latter bonds are easily hydrolyzed. This Review mainly summarizes C-C coupling reactions that are suitable for synthesizing 2D conjugated polymers, and the properties of these 2D conjugated polymers are also introduced.