Synthetic Control of the Pore Dimension and Surface Area in Conjugated Microporous Polymer and Copolymer Networks

Covalent organic frameworks in tribology - A perspective

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous materials formed through covalent bonds between organic building blocks. COFs uniquely combine a large surface area, an excellent stability, numerous abundant active sites, and tunable functionalities, thus making them highly attractive for numerous applications. Especially, their abundant active sites and weak interlayer interaction make these materials promising candidates for tribological research. Recently, notable attention has been paid to COFs as lubricant additives due to their excellent tribological performance. Our review aims at critically summarizing the state-of-art developments of 2D COFs in tribology. We discuss their structural and functional design principles, as well as synthetic strategies with a special focus on tribology. The generation of COF thin films is also assessed in detail, which can alleviate their most challenging drawbacks for this application. Subsequently, we analyze the existing state-of-the-art regarding the usage of COFs as lubricant additives, self-lubrication composite coatings, and solid lubricants at the nanoscale. Finally, critical challenges and future trends of 2D COFs in tribology are outlined to initiate and boost new research activities in this exciting field.

Preparation of cationic microporous organic network for efficient solid-phase extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from environmental water and milk samples

The overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) poses many serious environmental and food safety concerns. Development of effective and sensitive sample pretreatment method for monitoring trace NSAIDs from complex samples is of great significance. Depending on the ionic and aromatic structures of NSAIDs, a cationic microporous organic network (MON) named TEPM-BBDC with large specific surface area, good solvent and thermal stabilities, and numerous interaction sites was designed and prepared for efficient solid-phase extraction (SPE) of four typical NSAIDs (flurbiprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac sodium) from environmental water and milk samples. By anchoring the ionic groups in the conjugated MON frameworks, the prepared TEPM-BBDC offered good extraction for NSAIDs based on the π-π, hydrophobic, ion exchange, and electrostatic interactions. Under the optimal extraction conditions (initial concentration of each NSAID: 200 g L-1; sample volume: 50 mL; desorption solvent: 1.5 mL of MeOH + 1 % NH3·H2O; sample loading rate: 5 mL min-1; NaCl concentration: 0 mmol L-1; pH = 5), the proposed TEPM-BBDC-SPE-HPLC-UV method owned wide linear range (0.50-1000 g L-1), low limits of detection (0.10-0.40 g L-1), large enrichment factors (92.2-99.2), good precisions (intra-day and inter-day, RSD% = 1.3-7.8 %, n = 6) and reproducibility (column-to-column, RSD% = 8.0 %, n = 3). The developed method also exhibited good recoveries (83.6-113.4 %) for the determination of NSAIDs in river water, lake water and milk samples. This work not only revealed the potential of TEPM-BBDC for SPE of ionic NSAIDs in complex samples, but also highlighted the prospect of ionic MONs in sample pretreatment.

Ionic Porous Aromatic Frameworks Embedding Polyoxometalates for Heterogeneous Catalysis

Porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) are highly promising functional porous solids known for their feasible amenability and extraordinary stability. When the framework was modified by ionic functional groups, these ionic PAFs (iPAFs) exhibited charged channels for adsorption, separation, and catalysis. However, the surface areas of ionic porous frameworks are usually lower than that of neutral frameworks, and their synthesis is limited by specific strategies and complex modification processes. To address these challenges, an intuitive route to construct ionic porous framework with high specific surface area was proposed. Herein, a multivariate ionic porous aromatic framework (MTV-iPAFs, named PAF-270) was synthesized using readily available building units with ionic functional groups through a multivariable synthesis strategy. PAF-270 exhibited hierarchical structure with the highest specific surface area among reported imidazolium-functionalized PAFs. Utilizing its physical and chemical properties, the availability for polyoxometalate loading and heterogeneous catalysis of PAF-270 were explored. PAF-270 exhibited a high adsorption capacity up to 50 % for both H3O40PW12 (HPW) and (NH4)5H6PV8Mo4O40 (V8). HPW@PAF-270 and V8@PAF-270 exhibited excellent catalytic abilities for oleic acid esterification and extractive oxidative desulfurization, respectively. Due to the stability of PAFs, these materials also showed remarkable resistance to temperature and pH changes. Overall, these results underscore the potential application of MTV-iPAFs as versatile functional porous materials.

Carbon Dioxide Capture by Emerging Innovative Polymers: Status and Perspectives

A significant amount of research has been conducted in carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, particularly over the past decade, and continues to evolve. This review presents the most recent advancements in synthetic methodologies and CO2 capture capabilities of diverse polymer-based substances, which includes the amine-based polymers, porous organic polymers, and polymeric membranes, covering publications in the last 5 years (2019-2024). It aims to assist researchers with new insights and approaches to develop innovative polymer-based materials with improved capturing CO2 capacity, efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effective, thereby addressing the current obstacles in carbon capture and storage to sooner meeting the net-zero CO2 emission target.

Powders to Thin Films: Advances in Conjugated Microporous Polymer Chemical Sensors

Chemical sensing of harmful species released either from natural or anthropogenic activities is critical to ensuring human safety and health. Over the last decade, conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) have been proven to be potential sensor materials with the possibility of realizing sensing devices for practical applications. CMPs found to be unique among other porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) due to their high chemical/thermal stability, high surface area, microporosity, efficient host-guest interactions with the analyte, efficient exciton migration along the π-conjugated chains, and tailorable structure to target specific analytes. Several CMP-based optical, electrochemical, colorimetric, and ratiometric sensors with excellent selectivity and sensing performance were reported. This review comprehensively discusses the advances in CMP chemical sensors (powders and thin films) in the detection of nitroaromatic explosives, chemical warfare agents, anions, metal ions, biomolecules, iodine, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with simultaneous delineation of design strategy principles guiding the selectivity and sensitivity of CMP. Preceding this, various photophysical mechanisms responsible for chemical sensing are discussed in detail for convenience. Finally, future challenges to be addressed in the field of CMP chemical sensors are discussed.

Dual Brønsted acidic-basic function immobilized on the 3D mesoporous polycalix [4]resorcinarene: As a highly recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of spiro acenaphthylene/indene heterocycles

In this study, a novel dual Brønsted acidic-basic nano-scale porous organic polymer catalyst, PC4RA@SiPr-Pip-BuSO3H, was synthesized through various steps: preparation of a 3D network of polycalix, modification with (3-chloropropyl)-trimethoxysilane, then functionalization of polymer with piperazine and n-butyl sulfonic acid under the provided conditions. The catalyst characterization was performed by FT-IR, TGA, EDS, elemental mapping, PXRD, TEM, and FE-SEM analyses, confirming high chemical stability, activity, recoverability, and excellent covalent anchoring of functional groups. So, the designed catalyst was utilized for preparing spiro-acenaphthylene and amino-spiroindene heterocycles, providing good performance with a high yield of the corresponding products. Accordingly, this catalyst can be used in different organic transformations. Necessary experiments were conducted for the recyclability test of the polymeric catalyst, and the results showed the PC4RA@SiPr-Pip-BuSO3H catalyst can be reused 10 times without any decrease in its activity or quality with excellent stability. The structure of resultant spiro heterocycles was confirmed using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and FT-IR.

Hygroscopy as an Indicator of Specific Surface Area in Polymer Materials

Specific surface area (SSA) is an integral characteristic of the interfacial surface in poly-disperse systems, widely used for the assessment of technological properties in polymer materials and composites. Hygroscopic water content (Wh) is an obligate indicator of dispersed materials prior to any analysis of their chemical composition. This study links both indicators for the purpose of the express assessment of SSA using widely available Wh data, on the example of natural (starch, cellulose) and synthetic (acrylic hydrogels) polymer materials. The standard BET analysis of SSA using water vapor desorption was chosen as a reference method. In contrast to the known empirical correlations, this study is based on the fundamental thermodynamic theory of the disjoining water pressure for the connection of the analyzed quantities. The statistical processing of the results for the new methodology and the standard BET method showed their good compliance in a wide range of SSA from 200 to 900 m2/g. The most important methodological conclusion is the possibility of an accurate physically based calculation of hydrophilic SSA in polymer materials using their Wh data at a known relative humidity in the laboratory.

Integrating porphyrin-based nanoporous organic polymers with electrochemical aptasensors for ultratrace detection of kanamycin

The synthesis and characterization of two new porphyrin-based porous organic polymers (POPs) via Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction and leverage the two obtained POPs is reported for the fabrication of electrochemical aptasensors to detect kanamycin at an ultratrace level. The resultant electrochemical aptasensor demonstrates a high linear relationship with the logarithmic value of kanamycin concentration in the range 5 × 10-5-5 μg/L with the limit of detection of 17.6 pg/L or 36.3 fM. During the analysis of real samples from milk and river, a relative standard deviation of less than 4.39%, and good recovery values in the range 97.0-105% were obtained.

Relationships Between Defectivity and Porosity in High Surface Area Porous Aromatic Frameworks

Porous aromatic framework (PAF) microporosity is known to be strongly dependent on synthetic approach but little is known about why certain reactions yield significantly and consistently more porous PAFs. This article explores the connections between synthetic pathway, PAF defectivity, and microporosity. Using a network disassembly strategy, we show that defectivity is highly dependent on synthetic approach and that more defective PAFs are associated with lower surface areas and pore volumes. This empirical association is corroborated through systematic introduction of defects to a modelPAF, which results in significant reduction of apparent surface area and pore volumes. Taken together, these data suggest that only highly efficient coupling reactions should be targeted for the synthesis of ultra-high surface area porous aromatic frameworks.

Microporous Polymer-Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes for the Electrochemical Detection of Metronidazole: Experimental and Theoretical Insights

The persistence and potential toxicity of emergent pollutants pose significant threats to biodiversity and human health, emphasizing the need for sensors capable of detecting these pollutants at extremely low concentrations before treatment. This study focuses on the development of glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) modified by films of poly-tris(4-(4-(carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)silanol (PTPTCzSiOH), poly-4,4'-Di(carbazol-9-yl)-1,1'-biphenyl (PCBP), and poly-1,3,5-tri(carbazol-9-yl)benzene (PTCB) for the detection of metronidazole (MNZ) in aqueous media. The films were characterized using electrochemical, microscopy, and spectroscopy techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Monomers were electropolymerized through cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. Computational methods at the B3LYP/def2-TZVP level were employed to investigate the structural and electrochemical properties of the monomers. The electrochemical detection of MNZ utilized the linear sweep voltammetry technique. Surface characterization through SEM and XPS confirmed the proper electrodeposition of polymer films. Notably, MPN-GCEs exhibited higher detection signals compared to bare GCEs up to 3.6 times in the case of PTPTCzSiOH-GCEs. This theoretical study provides insights into the structural, chemical, and electronic properties of the polymers. The findings suggest that polymer-modified GCEs hold promise as candidates for the development of electrochemical sensors.

Mini-review on the novel synthesis and potential applications of carbazole and its derivatives

Microporous organic polymers (MOPs) are a new type of porous materials, which have advantages of synthetic diversity, chemical and physical stability, microporous size controllability, etc. MOPs indicate broad applications in various fields such as heterogeneous catalysis, gas adsorption, separation, and storage. In recent years, MOPs have attracted an enormous attention in greenhouse gas capture due to their great potential in physisorptive gas storage. Carbazole and its derivatives have been studied extensively as Metal-Organic Polyhedra (MOPs) building blocks due to their unique structural features and versatile functionalization possibilities. This paper systematically reviews the synthesis, characterization and application of carbazole-based polymers, and relationship of structures and properties of these polymers. The application of the polymers in carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture field is analysed taking advantage of their adjustable microporous structure and electron rich properties. This review also provides novel insights regarding functional polymer materials that have high ability of greenhouse gas capture and absorbing selectivity will be obtained by reasonable molecular design and efficient synthesis.

Utilizing Nanostructured Materials for Hydrogen Generation, Storage, and Diverse Applications

The rapid advancement of refined nanostructures and nanotechnologies offers significant potential to boost research activities in hydrogen storage. Recent innovations in hydrogen storage have centered on nanostructured materials, highlighting their effectiveness in molecular hydrogen storage, chemical storage, and as nanoconfined hydride supports. Emphasizing the importance of exploring ultra-high-surface-area nanoporous materials and metals, we advocate for their mechanical stability, rigidity, and high hydride loading capacities to enhance hydrogen storage efficiency. Despite the evident benefits of nanostructured materials in hydrogen storage, we also address the existing challenges and future research directions in this domain. Recent progress in creating intricate nanostructures has had a notable positive impact on the field of hydrogen storage, particularly in the realm of storing molecular hydrogen, where these nanostructured materials are primarily utilized.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) for environmental remediation

Modern global industrialization along with the ever-increasing growth of the population has resulted in continuous enhancement in the discharge and accumulation of various toxic and hazardous chemicals in the environment. These harmful pollutants, including toxic gases, inorganic heavy metal ions, anthropogenic waste, persistent organic pollutants, toxic dyes, pharmaceuticals, volatile organic compounds, etc., are destroying the ecological balance of the environment. Therefore, systematic monitoring and effective remediation of these toxic pollutants either by adsorptive removal or by catalytic degradation are of great significance. From this viewpoint, porous organic polymers (POPs), being two- or three-dimensional polymeric materials, constructed from small organic molecules connected with rigid covalent bonds have come forth as a promising platform toward various leading applications, especially for efficient environmental remediation. Their unique chemical and structural features including high stability, tunable pore functionalization, and large surface area have boosted the transformation of POPs into various macro-physical forms such as thick and thin-film membranes, which led to a new direction in advanced level pollutant removal, separation and catalytic degradation. In this review, our focus is to highlight the recent progress and achievements in the strategic design, synthesis, architectural-engineering and applications of POPs and their composite materials toward environmental remediation. Several strategies to improve the adsorption efficiency and catalytic degradation performance along with the in-depth interaction mechanism of POP-based materials have been systematically summarized. In addition, evolution of POPs from regular powder form application to rapid and more efficient size and chemo-selective, "real-time" applicable membrane-based application has been further highlighted. Finally, we put forward our perspective on the challenges and opportunities of these materials toward real-world implementation and future prospects in next generation remediation technology.

Synthesis of amine-functionalized magnetic porous organic polymers for effective extraction of phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals

Amine-functionalized porous organic polymers (EDA-POP-PC and EDA-POP-BT) were prepared by post-modification of POP-PC and POP-BT with ethylenediamine (EDA) for the first time. The POP-PC and POP-BT were obtained through Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction of potassium tetraphenylborate with p-phthaloyl chloride (PC) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride (BT), respectively. The EDA-POPs exhibited superior adsorption capacity for phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). After magnetically functionalization, the obtained M-EDA-POP-PC was employed as a magnetic adsorbent for enrichment of phenolic EDCs from real samples prior to high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection. The current strategy showed low detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.02-0.07, 0.04-0.08 and 0.04-0.10 ng mL-1 for river water, white peach juice and lychee juice, respectively. The method recoveries were 81.7%-115% with relative standard deviations below 8.6%. The proposed strategy showed good practicality for sensitive determination of phenolic EDCs in real samples.

Using molecular straps to engineer conjugated porous polymer growth, chemical doping, and conductivity

Controlling network growth and architecture of 3D-conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) is challenging and therefore has limited the ability to systematically tune the network architecture and study its impact on doping efficiency and conductivity. We have proposed that π-face masking straps mask the π-face of the polymer backbone and therefore help to control π-π interchain interactions in higher dimensional π-conjugated materials unlike the conventional linear alkyl pendant solubilizing chains that are incapable of masking the π-face. Herein, we used cycloaraliphane-based π-face masking strapped monomers and show that the strapped repeat units, unlike the conventional monomers, help to overcome the strong interchain π-π interactions, extend network residence time, tune network growth, and increase chemical doping and conductivity in 3D-conjugated porous polymers. The straps doubled the network crosslinking density, which resulted in 18 times higher chemical doping efficiency compared to the control non-strapped-CPP. The straps also provided synthetic tunability and generated CPPs of varying network size, crosslinking density, dispersibility limit, and chemical doping efficiency by changing the knot to strut ratio. For the first time, we have shown that the processability issue of CPPs can be overcome by blending them with insulating commodity polymers. The blending of CPPs with poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) has enabled them to be processed into thin films for conductivity measurements. The conductivity of strapped-CPPs is three orders of magnitude higher than that of the poly(phenyleneethynylene) porous network.

Mechanically robust conjugated microporous polymer membranes prepared using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) electrospun nanofibers as a template for efficient PM capture

Air pollution has become a challenging environmental problem worldwide due to rapid industrial development and excessive emissions of vehicle exhaust. Herein, we report a preparation of conjugated microporous polymer membranes (CMPM) with a hierarchical porous structure by electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers as a template for effective removal of PM from airborne and vehicle exhaust. CMP membranes have hierarchical holes, where the macropores are from electrospun nanofiber membranes and the mesopores are from polymer synthesis. Taking advantage of its inherent physicochemical and thermal stability and hierarchical hole characteristics, the CMPM-based filter can work continuously for up to 36 h and still maintains a high removal efficiency (>99.56%), and also has a high filtration efficiency in the treatment of vehicle exhausts, with 95.18% for PM_0.3, 98% for PM_0.5 and >99% for PM_2.5-10.0. The superior mechanical properties of CMPM allow the filter to be cleaned and reused. After three cycles, the filtration effectiveness of CMPM is still 94.83% for respirable particulate matter. Under high humidity (RH ≥ 95%) conditions, the CMPM-based filter showed higher than 95.37% filtration of PM_0.3-10, and the oil adsorption rate could be maintained at 284% at high speed, proving the great potential of CMPM to clean air in complex situations.

Click postsynthesis of microporous organic network@silica composites for reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction mixed-mode chromatography

Recently, the good physical and chemical properties, well-defined pore architectures, and designable topologies have made microporous organic networks (MONs) excellent potential candidates in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, their superior hydrophobic structures restrict their application in the reversed-phase mode. To solve this obstacle and to expand the application of MONs in HPLC, we realized the thiol-yne "click" postsynthesis of a novel hydrophilic MON-2COOH@SiO₂-MER (MER denotes mercaptosuccinic acid) microsphere for reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction mixed-mode chromatography. SiO₂ was initially decorated with MON-2COOH using 2,5-dibromoterephthalic acid and tetrakis(4-ethynylphenyl)methane as monomers, and MER was then grafted via thiol-yne click reaction to yield MON-2COOH@SiO₂-MER microspheres (5 μm) with a pore size of ~1.3 nm. The -COOH groups in 2,5-dibromoterephthalic acid and the post-modified MER molecules considerably improved the hydrophilicity of pristine MON and enhanced the hydrophilic interactions between the stationary phase and analytes. The retention mechanisms of the MON-2COOH@SiO₂-MER packed column were fully discussed with diverse hydrophobic and hydrophilic probes. Benefiting from the numerous -COOH recognition sites and benzene rings within MON-2COOH@SiO₂-MER, the packed column exhibited good resolution for the separation of sulfonamides, deoxynucleosides, alkaloids, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. A column efficiency of 27,556 plates per meter was obtained for the separation of gastrodin. The separation performance of the MON-2COOH@SiO₂-MER packed column was also demonstrated by comparing with those of MON-2COOH@SiO₂, commercial C18, ZIC-HILIC, and bare SiO₂ columns. This work highlights the good potential of the thiol-yne click postsynthesis strategy to construct MON-based stationary phases for mixed-mode chromatography.

Covalent Pyrimidine Frameworks via a Tandem Polycondensation Method for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production and Proton Conduction

The development of heteroaromatic conjugated porous polymers (H-CPPs) have received enormous research interests, because of the important functional roles of the heteroatoms in photocatalysis and proton conduction. However, due to the synthetic challenges deriving from the stable structures, the structural diversity and synthetic methods of them are still limited. Herein, a new type of H-CPPs, covalent pyrimidine frameworks (CPFs), via an efficient tandem polycondensation reaction between aldehyde, acetyl, and amidine monomers is reported. The resulting CPFs are bridged by pyrimidine units, rich of nitrogen atoms and can be structurally regulated on demand. The CPFs are shown to be active photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution from methanol via a photo-thermo-catalysis process, achieving an excellent hydrogen evolution rate of 5282.8 µmol h^-1  g^-1 . The CPFs can be further processed into a mixed matrix membrane, displaying an excellent proton conductivity of 1.30 × 10^-2  S cm^-1 at 413 K under anhydrous condition.

Nitrogen-rich based conjugated microporous polymers for highly efficient adsorption and removal of COVID-19 antiviral drug chloroquine phosphate from environmental waters

Chloroquine phosphate (CQP) has been suggested as an important and effective clinical reliever medication for the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19). Nevertheless, its excessive use will inevitably cause irreparable damage to the entire ecosystem, thereby posing a considerable environmental safety concern. Hence, the development of highly-efficient methods of removing CQP from water pollution sources, e.g., effluents from hospitals and pharmaceutical factories is significant. This study reported the fabrication of novel C—N bond linked conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) (BPT–DMB–CMP) with multiple nitrogen-rich anchoring sites for the quick and efficient removal of CQP from aqueous solutions. The irreversible covalent C—N bond linked in the internal framework of BPT–DMB–CMP endowed it with good chemical stability and excellent adsorbent regeneration. With its predesigned functional groups (i.e., rich N—H bonds, triazine rings, and benzene rings) and large area surface (1,019.89 m²·g⁻¹), BPT–DMB–CMP demonstrated rapid adsorption kinetics (25 min) and an extraordinary adsorption capacity (334.70 mg·g⁻¹) for CQP, which is relatively higher than that of other adsorbents. The adsorption behavior of CQP on BPT–DMB–CMP corresponded with Liu model and mixed-order model. Based on the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and adsorption comparisons test, the halogen bonding, and hydrogen bonding cooperates with π − π, C — H···π interactions and size-matching effect in the CQP adsorption system on BPT–DMB–CMP. The excellent practicability for the removal of CQP from real wastewater samples verified the prospect of practical application of BPT–DMB–CMP. BPT–DMB–CMP exhibited the application potentials for the adsorption of other antiviral drugs. This work opens up an efficient, simple, and high adsorption capacity way for removal CQP.

Synthesis and Characterization of Benzene- and Triazine-Based Azo-Bridged Porous Organic Polymers

Porous organic polymers incorporating nitrogen-rich functionalities have recently emerged as promising materials for efficient and highly selective CO₂ capture and separation. Herein, we report synthesis and characterization of new two-dimensional (2D) benzene- and triazine-based azo-bridged porous organic polymers. Different synthetic approaches towards the porous azo-bridged polymers were tested, including reductive homocoupling of aromatic nitro monomers, oxidative homocoupling of aromatic amino monomers and heterocoupling of aromatic nitro monomers and a series of aromatic diamines of different lengths and rigidity. IR spectroscopy, ¹³C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments and computational study were used to characterize structures and properties of the resulting polymers. The synthesized azo-bridged polymers are all amorphous solids of good thermal stability, exhibiting various surface areas (up to 351 m² g^-1). The obtained results indicated that the synthetic methods and building units have a pronounced effect on the porosity of the final materials. Reductive and oxidative homocoupling of aromatic nitro and amino building units, respectively, lead to 2D azo-bridged polymers of substantially higher porosity when compared to those produced by heterocoupling reactions. Periodic DFT calculations and Grand-canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations suggested that, within the used approximations, linear linkers of different lengths do not significantly affect CO₂ adsorption properties of model azo-bridged polymers.

Surface-catalyzed hydrolysis by pyrogenic carbonaceous matter and model polymers: An experimental and computational study on functional group and pore characteristics

We employed a polymer network to understand what properties of pyrogenic carbonaceous matter (PCM; e.g., activated carbon) confer its reactivity, which we hereinafter referred to as PCM-like polymers (PLP). This approach allows us to delineate the role of functional groups and micropore characteristics using 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) as a model contaminant. Six PLP were synthesized via cross-coupling chemistry with specific functionality (-OH, -NH2, -N(CH3)2, or -N ( CH 3 ) 3 + ) and pore characteristics (mesopore, micropore). Results suggest that PCM functionality catalyzed the reaction by: (1) serving as a weak base (-OH, -NH2) to attack TNT, or (2) accumulating OH- near PCM surfaces (-N ( CH 3 ) 3 + ). Additionally, TNT hydrolysis rates, pH and co-ion effects, and products were monitored. Microporous PLP accelerated TNT decay compared to its mesoporous counterpart, as further supported by molecular dynamics modeling results. We also demonstrated that quaternary ammonium-modified activated carbon enhanced TNT hydrolysis. These findings have broad implications for pollutant abatement and catalyst design.

A Sensitive Photoelectrochemical Sensor for Levodopa Detection Using Benzothiadiazole-Based Conjugated Microporous Polymer-Coated Graphene Heterostructures

Since the 1960s, levodopa (LDA) has been the standard drug for treating of Parkinson's disease. In this study, a novel benzothiadiazole-based conjugated microporous polymer-coated graphene heterostructure (CMP-rGO) was synthesized and used to construct a sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor capable of detecting LDA. Under optimal experimental conditions, the intensity of the photocurrent produced by the sensor was linear from 0.005 to 40 μM, and the limit of detection of the sensor was 0.0027 μM. The sensor showed good repeatability, stability, and selectivity for LDA detection. Finally, the constructed sensor was used to detect LDA in levodopa tablets, human serum samples, and urine samples and satisfactory results were obtained. Therefore, the PEC sensor provides a novel platform for the detection of LDA in real samples and broadens the applications of conjugated microporous polymers in PEC sensing.

In Situ Separator Modification with an N-Rich Conjugated Microporous Polymer for the Effective Suppression of Polysulfide Shuttle and Li Dendrite Growth

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are very promising high-energy-density electrochemical energy storage devices, but suffer from serious Li polysulfide (LiPS) shuttle and uncontrollable Li dendrite growth. Here, we show in situ polyolefin separator modification with an N-rich conjugated microporous polymer (NCMP) for advanced Li-S battery. In situ polymerization generates an ultrathin NCMP coating on the whole external surface and the internal surface of the separator, which is substantially different from the conventional approaches with thick coatings only on the external surface. The NCMP coating with abundant N-containing groups (-NH₂ and -N═), uniform nanopores (12.294 Å), and π-conjugated structure can simultaneously inhibit LiPS shuttle and regulate uniform nucleation and growth of Li dendrites. Consequently, the NCMP-based separator endows the Li-S battery with significantly enhanced cycling stability at high S loading (5.4 mg cm^-2), lean electrolyte (E/S = 6.3 μL mg^-1), and limited Li excess (50 μm).

Non-negligible Influence of Oxygen in Hard Carbon as an Anode Material for Potassium-Ion Batteries

The development of potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) has been impeded by the lack of an appropriate carbon anode material that could accommodate K⁺ with a large ionic radius. Hard carbon with low cost and larger interlayer spacing is a promising anode material for PIBs. However, the impact of oxygen-containing functional groups in hard carbon (HC) is less reported. Herein, a hypercrosslinked polymer (HCLP) is prepared and used for the synthesis of microporous hard carbons with superior structural stability and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups and defects, in which the crosslinking agent provided copious oxygen atoms. It is found that a large number of C═O groups and micropores provide more storage sites for K⁺. The surface-controlled process is dominated by the reversible reaction of C═O + K⁺ + e^- ↔ C-O-K, which directly increases the capacity contribution. The HCs obtained at 600 °C exhibit good cycling and rate performance with an initial specific capacity of about 254.3 mAh g^-1 and the capacity retention of 83.2% after 200 cycles at 50 mA g^-1. The capacity reached up to 121 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1. A possible capacitive-adsorption mechanism is proposed by kinetic analysis. The redox reaction mechanism between C═O and K⁺ at the HC is clearly also revealed.

Synthetic Control of Electronic Property and Porosity in Anthraquinone-Based Conjugated Polymer Cathodes for High-Rate and Long-Cycle-Life Na-Organic Batteries

Redox-active carbonyl-containing compounds have received extensive attention as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of their excellent attributes, including elemental sustainability, high theoretical capacity, diverse structures, and tunable properties. However, the storage of Na⁺ in most carbonyl-based cathode materials is plagued by the low capacity, unsatisfying rate performance, and short cycling life. Herein, we develop a series of anthraquinone-based conjugated polymer cathodes consisting of anthraquinone and benzene with different linking patterns. It reveals that the linkage sites on benzene ring could affect the electronic structures of the resulting polymers and thus their charge-storage capabilities. The 1,2,4,5-linkage on benzene leads to a high surface area, a narrow band gap, and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital for the resulting polymer PBAQ-3. As a cathode for SIBs, it delivers a high capacity of around 200 mAh g^-1 and excellent rate performance (105 mAh g^-1 at 200 C) as well as stable cycling with a capacity retention of 95.8% after 1000 cycles at 0.05 A g^-1 and 83.1% after 40000 cycles at 3 A g^-1. Our findings highlight the influence of linking patterns of the building blocks on the electrochemical performance of organic electrodes.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Efficiency in Visible-Light-Induced NADH Regeneration by Intramolecular Electron Transfer

Inspired by natural photosynthesis, photocatalytic NADH regeneration has drawn increasing interest in the recent decade as it provides a perfect approach for NAD⁺ reduction into NADH, which can be further consumed by oxidordeuctase for enzymatic redox reactions. However, two issues still remain unsolved in this procedure. First, the photocatalytic efficiency in NAD⁺ hydrogenation requires further improvement. Second, the rhodium electron mediator [Cp*Rh(bpy)H₂O]²⁺ (M), which is always required for selective 1,4-NADH regeneration, is difficult to recover because of its good solubility in aqueous solution. Given the high price of M, it is highly wasteful and inefficient if it only spends once. Here, we report a Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl implanted conjugated microporous polymer DTS/Rh@CMPs which can be employed as a highly effective visible light photocatalysts for in situ NADH regeneration without using additional M. In addition, the insertion of Rh complex into a polymer skeleton, as demonstrated in UV-vis, fluorescence, photocurrent and electrochemical impedance, dramatically improves the light absorption capacity and the electron separation and transfer efficiency. Compared with that of DTS@CMP-1 with M, an enhanced reaction yield of 33% was determined in DTS/Rh@CMP-1 suggesting that intramolecular electron transfer has a better activity than that of intermolecular electron transfer in photocatalytic NAD⁺ reduction. Moreover, as the Rh complex is rooted firmly in a polymer framework, negligible Rh loss and conversion decrease in NADH regeneration are observed. When the DTS/Rh@CMP-1 was coupled with yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 1.36 mM of methanol was accumulated, implying an excellent biocompatibility of DTS/Rh@CMP-1 and a high feasibility of photobiocatalysis for formaldehyde hydrogenation.

Perfluorinated conjugated microporous polymer for targeted capture of Ag(I) from contaminated water

The maximum targeted capture silver from contaminated water is urgently necessary for sustainable development. Herein, the perfluorination conjugated microporous polymer adsorbent (F-CMP) has been fabricated by Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction and employed to remove Ag(I) ions. Characterizations of NMR, XPS and FT-IR indicate the successful synthesis of F-CMP adsorbent. The influence factors of F-CMP on Ag(I) adsorption behavior are studied, and the adsorption capacity of Ag(I) reaches 251.3 mg/g. The experimental results of isothermal adsorption and kinetic adsorption are consistent with the Freundlich model and pseudo-second-order isothermal adsorption model, which follows a multilayer adsorption behavior on the uniform surface of the adsorbent, and the chemical adsorption becomes the main rate-limiting step. Combined with DFT calculation, the adsorption mechanism of Ag(I) by F-CMP is elucidated. The peaks shift of sp before and after adsorption is larger than that of F1s, suggesting that the -CC- on the F-CMP becomes the dominant chelation site of Ag(I). Furthermore, F-CMP exhibits specific adsorption for Ag(I) in polymetallic complex water, with the maximum selectivity coefficient of 31.5. Our study may provide a new possibility of perfluorinated CMPs for effective capture of Ag(I) ions to address environmental issues.

Non-Precious Metal-Doped Carbon Materials Derived From Porphyrin-Based Porous Organic Polymers for Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis

The cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important in the development of renewable energy devices, to produce novel and non-precious metal catalysts with high electrocatalytic activity to reduce the consumption of non-renewable platinum (Pt) catalyst. In this work, we developed N-doped and Fe/N dual-doped porous carbons as catalysts for ORR simply by high-temperature pyrolysis of porphyrin-based conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs). By combination of heteroatom doping, highly porous structure and tubular morphology, the as-prepared carbon samples exhibited high electrocatalytic activity with 4-electron transfer mechanism, nearly close to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. In particular, among these samples, the Fe/N-CMP-1000 displayed a higher onset potential (0.95 eV), positive half-wave potential (0.85 eV) and limiting current density value (5.1 mA cm^-2 ) as well as good durability and better methanol tolerance contrasting with Pt/C catalyst, suggesting that the as-prepared metal-free catalysts from porphyrin-based CMPs show great potential for ORR.

Ultramicroporous Organophosphorus Polymers via Self-Accelerating P-C Coupling Reactions: Kinetic Effects on Crosslinking Environments and Porous Structures

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have drawn significant attention in diverse applications. However, factors affecting the heterogeneous polymerization and porosity of POPs are still not well understood. Herein, we report a new strategy to construct porous organophosphorus polymers (POPPs) with high surface areas (1283 m²/g) and ultramicroporous structures (0.67 nm). The strategy harnesses an efficient transition-metal-catalyzed phosphorus-carbon (P-C) coupling reaction at the trigonal pyramidal P-center, which is distinct from the typical carbon-carbon coupling reaction utilized in the synthesis of POPs. As the first kinetic study on the coupling reaction of POPs, we uncovered a self-accelerating reaction characteristic, which is controlled by the choice of bases and catalysts. The self-accelerating characteristic of the P-C coupling reaction is beneficial for the high surface area and uniform ultramicroporosity of POPPs. The direct crosslinking of the P-centers allows ³¹P solid-state (ss)NMR experiments to unambiguously reveal the crosslinking environments of POPPs. Leveraging on the kinetic studies and ³¹P ssNMR studies, we were able to reveal the kinetic effects of the P-C coupling reaction on both the crosslinking environments and the porous structures of POPPs. Furthermore, our studies show that the CO₂ uptake capacity of POPPs is highly dependent on their porous structures. Overall, our studies paves the way to design new POPs with better controlled chemical and ultramicroporous structures, which have potential applications for CO₂ capture and separation.

2D Covalent Organic Frameworks: From Synthetic Strategies to Advanced Optical-Electrical-Magnetic Functionalities

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), an emerging class of organic crystalline polymers with highly oriented structures and permanent porosity, can adopt 2D or 3D architectures depending on the different topological diagrams of the monomers. Notably, 2D COFs have particularly gained much attention due to the extraordinary merits of their extended in-plane π-conjugation and topologically ordered columnar π-arrays. These properties together with high crystallinity, large surface area, and tunable porosity distinguish 2D COFs as an ideal candidate for the fabrication of functional materials. Herein, this review surveys the recent research advances in 2D COFs with special emphasis on the preparation of 2D COF powders, single crystals, and thin films, as well as their advanced optical, electrical, and magnetic functionalities. Some challenging issues and potential research outlook for 2D COFs are also provided for promoting their development in terms of structure, synthesis, and functionalities.

Photocatalytic Water-Splitting by Organic Conjugated Polymers: Opportunities and Challenges

The future challenges associated with the shortage of fossil fuels and their current environmental impacts intrigued the researchers to look for alternative ways of generating green energy. Solar-driven water splitting into oxygen and hydrogen is one of those advanced strategies. Researchers have studied various semiconductor materials to achieve potential results. However, it encountered multiple challenges such as high cost, low photostability and efficiency, and required multistep modifications. The conjugated polymers (CPs) have emerged as promising alternatives for conventional inorganic semiconductors. The CPs offer low cost, sufficient light absorption efficiency, excellent photo and chemical stability, and molecular optoelectronic tunable characteristics. Furthermore, organic CPs also present higher flexibility to tune the basic framework of the backbone of the polymers, amendments in the sidechain to incorporate desired functionalities, and much-needed porosity to serve better for photocatalytic applications. This review article summarizes the recent advancements made in visible-light-driven water splitting covering the aspects of synthetic strategies and experimental parameters employed for water splitting reactions with special emphasis on conjugated polymers such as linear CPs, planarized CPs, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃ N₄ ), conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and conjugated polymer-based nanocomposites (CPNCs). The current challenges and future prospects have also been described briefly.

Pyrogenic carbon-promoted haloacetic acid decarboxylation to trihalomethanes in drinking water

Drinking water disinfection by chlorination or chloramination can result in the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) such as haloacetic acids (HAAs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). Pyrogenic carbonaceous matter (PCM), such as activated carbon (AC), is commonly used as an ostensibly inert adsorbent to remove HAAs from water. HAA degradation has been mainly attributed to biological factors. This study, for the first time, revealed that abiotic HAA degradation in the presence of PCM could be important under water treatment conditions. Specifically, we observed complete destruction of Br₃AA, a model HAA, in the presence of powder AC at pH 7 within 30 min. To understand the role of PCM and the reaction mechanism, we performed a systematic study using a suite of HAAs and various PCM types. We found that PCM significantly accelerated the transformation of three HAAs (Br₃AA, BrCl₂AA, Br₂ClAA) at pH 7. Product characterization indicated an approximately 1:1 HAA molar transformation into their respective THMs following a decarboxylation pathway with PCM. The Br₃AA activation energy (E_a) was measured by kinetic experiments at 15-45 °C with and without a model PCM, wherein a significant decrease in E_a from 25.7 ± 3.2 to 13.6 ± 2.2 kcal•mol^-1 was observed. We further demonstrated that oxygenated functional groups on PCM (e.g., -COOH) can accelerate HAA decarboxylation using synthesized polymers to resemble PCM. Density functional theory simulations were performed to determine the enthalpy of activation (ΔH^‡) for Br₃AA decarboxylation with H₃O⁺ and formic acid (HCOOH). The presence of HCOOH significantly lowered the overall ΔH^‡ value for Br₃AA decarboxylation, supporting the hypothesis that -COOH catalyzes the C-C bond breaking in Br₃AA. Overall, our study demonstrated the importance of a previously overlooked abiotic reaction pathway, where HAAs can be quickly converted to THMs with PCM under water treatment relevant conditions. These findings have substantial implications for DBP mitigation in water quality control, particularly for potable water reuse or pre-chlorinated water that allow direct contact between HAAs and AC during filtration as well as PAC fines traveling with finished water in water distribution systems. As such, the volatilization and relative low toxicity of volatile THMs may be considered as a detoxification process to mitigate adverse DBP effects in drinking water, thereby lowering potential health risks to consumers.

Efficient capture of airborne PM by nanotubular conjugated microporous polymers based filters under harsh conditions

The exploitation of high-performance filters which can capture and remove airborne particulate matter (PM) in harsh conditions is greatly important to limit the serious effect of PM on human health. Herein, we demonstrate a simple approach for the creation of robust and hierarchically porous filters based on conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) nanotubes for efficient PM capture. Taking advantage of their inherently superhydrophobic wettability, the CMPs-based filters possess high filtration efficiency of higher than 99.4% for PM_0.3 and 99.9% for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, respectively, even in high humidity environment (RH ≥ 94%). The CMPs-based filters show highly physicochemical and thermal stability, e.g., by calcination at 500 °C for 2 h, the filtration efficiency of the samples still reaches as great as 99.4% for both PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ with a low-pressure drop of only 10 Pa. In addition, these CMPs-based filters can be easily regenerated and their high PM filtration efficiency remains nearly unchanged by a simple methanol washing. More interestingly, the CMPs-based filters also exhibit superior antibacterial performance, which enables them to sterilize or eliminate the bacteria possibly loaded on PM pollutions, thus showing great potential for various applications such as PM removal, air purification and so on.

Facile synthesis of novel multifunctional β-cyclodextrin microporous organic network and application in efficient removal of bisphenol A from water

Here, a novel multifunctional β-cyclodextrin microporous organic network (CD-MON) has been successfully synthesized and used to remove bisphenol A (BPA) from water. The morphology and composition of the synthesized CD-MON were confirmed. The combination of hydrophobic interaction, π-π interaction inclusion mechanism and hydrogen bonding endowed CD-MON to exhibit superior adsorption capacity toward BPA. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of BPA and other four model aromatic pollutants on CD-MON were studied. CD-MON could maintain adsorption efficiency toward BPA over wide pH ranges and without being affected by the ionic strengths, co-existing inorganic ions and humic acid. The optimal conditions and removal efficiency of BPA were screened by response surface analysis. In addition, nearly unchanged in the adsorption efficiency toward BPA was observed after five regeneration cycles on CD-MON. CD-MON can adsorb about 80% of five model aromatic pollutants from the water within 40 s in the flow-through experiments. This novel adsorbent gives great promise for practical wastewater remediation.

Emerging porous organic polymers for biomedical applications

This review summarizes and discusses the recent progress in porous organic polymers for diverse biomedical applications such as drug delivery, biomacromolecule immobilization, phototherapy, biosensing, bioimaging, and antibacterial applications.

Bifunctional conjugated microporous polymer based filters for highly efficient PM and gaseous iodine capture

Cross-linked conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) based air filters obtained by a one-step cross-coupling reaction for effective capture of particulate matter and gaseous iodine from dusty air.

High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes Prepared From Dispersions of Tetrabenzonaphthalene-Based Conjugated Microporous Polymers and Carbon Nanotubes

In this study, we prepared a series of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) through Sonogashira-Hagihara cross-couplings of a tetrabenzonaphthalene (TBN) monomer with pyrene (Py), tetraphenylethylene (TPE), and carbazole (Car) units and examined their chemical structures, thermal stabilities, morphologies, crystallinities, and porosities. TBN-TPE-CMP possessed a high surface area (1150 m2 g-1) and thermal stability (Td10 = 505 °C; char yield = 68 wt %) superior to those of TBN-Py-CMP and TBN-Car-CMP. To improve the conductivity of the TBN-CMP materials, we blended them with highly conductive single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Electrochemical measurements revealed that the TBN-Py-CMP/SWCNT nanocomposite had high capacitance (430 F g-1) at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 and outstanding capacitance retention (99.18%) over 2000 cycles; these characteristics were superior to those of the TBN-TPE-CMP/SWCNT and TBN-Car-CMP/SWCNT nanocomposites.

Dynamic porous organic polymers with tuneable crosslinking degree and porosity

Porous organic polymers (POPs) show enormous potential for applications in separation, organic electronics, and biomedicine due to the combination of high porosity, high stability, and ease of functionalisation. However, POPs are usually insoluble and amorphous materials making it very challenging to obtain structural information. Additionally, important parameters such as the exact molecular structure or the crosslinking degree are largely unknown, despite their importance for the final properties of the system. In this work, we introduced the reversible multi-fold nitroxide exchange reaction to the synthesis of POPs to tune and at the same time follow the crosslinking degree in porous polymer materials. We synthesised three different POPs based on the combination of linear, trigonal, and tetrahedral alkoxyamines with a tetrahedral nitroxide. We could show that modulating the equilibrium in the nitroxide exchange reaction, by adding or removing one nitroxide species, leads to changes in the crosslinking degree. Being able to modulate the crosslinking degree in POPs allowed us to investigate both the influence of the crosslinking degree and the structure of the molecular components on the porosity. The crosslinking degree of the frameworks was characterised using EPR spectroscopy and the porosity was determined using argon gas adsorption measurements. To guide the design of POPs for desired applications, our study reveals that multiple factors need to be considered such as the structure of the molecular building blocks, the synthetic conditions, and the crosslinking degree.

We synthesised three different POPs via a nitroxide exchange reaction and modulated their crosslinking degree. That allowed us to investigate the influence of the crosslinking degree and the structure of the molecular components on the porosity.

A COF-Like N-Rich Conjugated Microporous Polytriphenylamine Cathode with Pseudocapacitive Anion Storage Behavior for High-Energy Aqueous Zinc Dual-Ion Batteries

Conducting polymers with good electron conductivity and rich redox functional groups are promising cathode candidates for constructing high-energy aqueous zinc batteries. However, the glaring flaw of active-site underutilization impairs their electrochemical performance. Herein, we report a poriferous polytriphenylamine conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) cathode capable of accommodating Cl^- anions in a pseudocapative-dominated manner for energy storage. Its specific 3D, covalent-organic-framework-like conjugated network ensures high accessibility efficacy of N active sites (up to 83.2% at 0.5 A g^-1 ) and distinct physicochemical stability (87.6% capacity retention after 1000 cycles) during repeated charging/discharging courses. Such a robust CMP electrode also leads to a zinc dual-ion battery device with a high energy density of 236 W h kg^-1 and a maximum power density of 6.8 kW kg^-1 , substantially surpassing most recently reported organic-based zinc batteries. This study paves the way for the rational design of advanced CMP-based organic cathodes for high-energy devices.

Potential applications of porous organic polymers as adsorbent for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with high toxicity and carcinogenicity are emitted from kinds of industries, which endanger human health and the environment. Adsorption is a promising method for the treatment of VOCs due to its low cost and high efficiency. In recent years, activated carbons, zeolites, and mesoporous materials are widely used to remove VOCs because of their high specific surface area and abundant porosity. However, the hydrophilic nature and low desorption rate of those materials limit their commercial application. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of VOCs still need to be improved. Porous organic polymers (POPs) with extremely high porosity, structural diversity, and hydrophobic have been considered as one of the most promising candidates for VOCs adsorption. This review generalized the superiority of POPs for VOCs adsorption compared to other porous materials and summarized the studies of VOCs adsorption on different types of POPs. Moreover, the mechanism of competitive adsorption between water and VOCs on the POPs was discussed. Finally, a concise outlook for utilizing POPs for VOCs adsorption was discussed, noting areas in which further work is needed to develop the next-generation POPs for practical applications.