Triptycene-like naphthopleiadene as a readily accessible scaffold for supramolecular and materials chemistry

Triptycene derivatives are used extensively in supramolecular and materials chemistry, however, most are prepared using a multi-step synthesis involving the generation of a benzyne intermediate, which hinders production on a large scale. Inspired by the ease of the synthesis of resorcinarenes, we report the rapid and efficient preparation of triptycene-like 1,6,2',7'-tetrahydroxynaphthopleiadene directly from 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene and phthalaldehyde. Structural characterisation confirms the novel bridged bicyclic framework, within which the planes of the single benzene ring and two naphthalene units are fixed at an angle of ∼120° relative to each other. Other combinations of aromatic 1,2-dialdehydes and 2,7-disubstituted naphthalenes also provided similar triptycene-like products. The low cost of the precursors and undemanding reaction conditions allow for rapid multigram synthesis of 1,6,2',7'-tetrahydroxynaphthopleiadene, which is shown to be a useful precursor for making the parent naphthopleiadene hydrocarbon. The great potential for the use of the naphthopleiadene scaffold in supramolecular and polymer chemistry is demonstrated by the preparation of a rigid novel cavitand, a microporous network polymer, and a solution-processable polymer of intrinsic microporosity.

Unprecedented ROP of quinazolinones to polyacylamidines using a cesium catalyst

Unprecedented ring-opening polymerization of quinazolinones to produce novel polyacylamidines, led by a unique cooperation between a cesium metal center and imino-phosphanamidinate ligand, was developed. Morphological studies revealed the formation of a unique macromolecular assembly producing nanofibers in the absence of a templating agent with excellent control of molecular weights and polydispersity index.

Ultra-stable fully-aromatic microporous polyamide membrane for molecular sieving of nitrogen over volatile organic compound

Microporous polymer membranes are promising candidates for industrial membrane-based gas separation because of their high separation performance. However, their relatively low stability due to the local rearrangement of polymer chains during usage remains a problem. Hence, we propose the construction of a fully aromatic polymer structure in a microporous polymer membrane to enhance membrane stability. Four triptycene-based microporous polyamides were synthesized via the polymerization of 2,6,14-triaminotriptycene with aromatic acyl chloride and/or aliphatic acyl chlorides. Their properties were characterized and compared by using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses. The synthesized polyamides were fabricated into composite membranes by employing a solution process; their stability was evaluated for the molecular sieving of nitrogen over volatile organic compounds such as cyclohexane. Low-field NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate the differences in the properties of membranes with different structures at different times. The results showed that the fully aromatic polyamide membrane made from 2,6,14-triaminotriptycene and aromatic acyl chloride displayed constant rejection (99 %) and nitrogen permeability (approximately 50 Barrer) for the molecular sieving of nitrogen over cyclohexane during 100-d experiments, indicating good stability. This approach paves the way for the industrialization of microporous polymer membranes from a theoretical perspective.

Facile Fabrication of Upconversion Photoluminescent Transparent Semiaromatic Polyamide Nanocomposites Through Interfacial Chemistry Modification

Transparent upconversion photoluminescent polyamide nanocomposites were fabricated via a facile in situ polycondensation method with interfacial chemistry modification employing polyacrylic acid-functionalized upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP-PAA) as fillers and transparent semiaromatic polyamides (SAPA) as host materials. The as-prepared UCNP-PAA could be dispersed uniformly in the polyamide salt solution and the SAPA chains can be grafted to the UCNP-PAA through condensation reactions. The grafted SAPA ligand on the surface of UCNP increases the compatibility between SAPA and UCNP, thus causing uniform dispersion of the UCNP in the polyamide nanocomposites and improving the transmittance of the polyamide nanocomposites. The obtained polyamide nanocomposites are transparent and show strong green upconversion photoluminescence. This work solved the problem of the dispersity of incorporated nanoparticles and improving the transparency of nanocomposites and, more importantly, endowed the traditional engineering plastic with upconversion photoluminescent properties which can be applied in three-dimensional displays and the related solar cell field in the future.

Synthesis and Gas-Permeation Characterization of a Novel High-Surface Area Polyamide Derived from 1,3,6,8-Tetramethyl-2,7-diaminotriptycene: Towards Polyamides of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIM-PAs)

A triptycene-based diamine, 1,3,6,8-tetramethyl-2,7-diamino-triptycene (TMDAT), was used for the synthesis of a novel solution-processable polyamide obtained via polycondensation reaction with 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoic acid) (6FBBA). Molecular simulations confirmed that the tetrasubstitution with ortho-methyl groups in the triptycene building block reduced rotations around the C⁻N bond of the amide group leading to enhanced fractional free volume. Based on N₂ sorption at 77 K, 6FBBA-TMDAT revealed microporosity with a Brunauer⁻Emmett⁻Teller (BET) surface area of 396 m² g-1; to date, this is the highest value reported for a linear polyamide. The aged 6FBBA-TMDAT sample showed moderate pure-gas permeabilities (e.g., 198 barrer for H₂, ~109 for CO₂, and ~25 for O₂) and permselectivities (e.g., αH₂/CH₄ of ~50) that position this polyamide close to the 2008 H₂/CH₄ and H₂/N₂ upper bounds. CO₂⁻CH₄ mixed-gas permeability experiments at 35 °C demonstrated poor plasticization resistance; mixed-gas permselectivity negatively deviated from the pure-gas values likely, due to the enhancement of CH₄ diffusion induced by mixing effects.

Pentiptycene-Based Polyurethane with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and CO2-Plasticization Resistance for Thin Film Gas Separation Membranes

The development of thin film composite (TFC) membranes offers an opportunity to achieve the permeability/selectivity requirements for optimum CO₂ separation performance. However, the durability and performance of thin film gas separation membranes are mostly challenged by weak mechanical properties and high CO₂ plasticization. Here, we designed new polyurethane (PU) structures with bulky aromatic chain extenders that afford preferred mechanical properties for ultra-thin-film formation. An improvement of about 1500% in Young's modulus and 600% in hardness was observed for pentiptycene-based PUs compared to the typical PU membranes. Single (CO₂, H₂, CH₄, and N₂) and mixed (CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄) gas permeability tests were performed on the PU membranes. The resulting TFC membranes showed a high CO₂ permeance up to 1400 GPU (10^-6 cm³(STP) cm^-2 s^-1 cmHg^-1) and the CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/H₂ selectivities of about 22 and 2.1, respectively. The enhanced mechanical properties of pentiptycene-based PUs result in high-performance thin membranes with the similar selectivity of the bulk polymer. The thin film membranes prepared from pentiptycene-based PUs also showed a twofold enhanced plasticization resistance compared to non-pentiptycene-containing PU membranes.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(amide-imide)s derived from a new ortho-functional unsymmetrical dicarboxylic acid

Herein, we report a new diacid monomer containing an imide ring and a methoxy pendant group, 3-trimellitimido-4-methoxybenzoic acid TMBA, for the preparation of poly(amide-imide)s.

Gas separation properties of Troeger’s base-bridged polyamides

A series of new polyamides (PAs) has been prepared from a Troeger base-bridged diamine (TB), 2,8- diamino-4,10-dimethyl-6H,12H-5,11-methanodibenzo[1,5]-diazocine and different commercially available diacid monomers via the conventional polycondensation method. Dense membranes were prepared from the PAs by solution casting and solvent evaporation techniques. The synthesized PAs showed high glass transition temperature (283–290°C), 10% weight loss up to temperature 431°C in air, and tensile strength up to 91 MPa. The PA membranes showed higher permeability than some commercially used glassy polymers (PCO2 up to 109 and PO2 up to 21 Barrer) and permselectivity (PCO2/PCH4 up to 53.7 and PO2/PN2 up to 7.52) in comparison to many other PAs published in the literature.

Soluble, optically transparent polyamides with a phosphaphenanthrene skeleton: synthesis, characterization, gas permeation and molecular dynamics simulations

Soluble, optically transparent polyamides with a phosphaphenanthrene skeleton: synthesis, characterization, gas permeation and molecular dynamics simulations.

Iptycenes with an acridinone motif developed through [4+2] cycloaddition of tethered naphthalene and iminoquinone via a radical reaction

A new class of iptycenes was developed by combining 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)anilines and p-benzoquinones through copper(ii)-mediated radical cyclisation.

Thermal transition behaviors, solubility, and mechanical properties of wholly aromatic para-, meta-poly(ether-amide)s: effect on numbers of para-aryl ether linkages

para- and meta-poly(ether-amide)s containing 2, 3, 4 or 5 para-aryl ether linkages show different solubility, thermal transition behavior and mechanical properties.

Size dependent effect of new organometallic triptycene tectons on the dimensions of self-assembled macrocycles

The effect of changing the dimension of triptycene-based acceptor building blocks on the shape and size of the resulting supramolecular framework is reported.