The mechanochemical synthesis of polymers

Mechanochemistry - the utilization of mechanical forces to induce chemical reactions - is a rarely considered tool for polymer synthesis. It offers numerous advantages such as reduced solvent consumption, accessibility of novel structures, and the avoidance of problems posed by low monomer solubility and fast precipitation. Consequently, the development of new high-performance materials based on mechanochemically synthesised polymers has drawn much interest, particularly from the perspective of green chemistry. This review covers the constructive mechanochemical synthesis of polymers, starting from early examples and progressing to the current state of the art while emphasising linear and porous polymers as well as post-polymerisation modifications.

Synthesis of Naphthalene-Based Polyaminal-Linked Porous Polymers for Highly Effective Uptake of CO2 and Heavy Metals

Studying the effect of functional groups on the porosity structure and adsorption efficiency of polymer materials is becoming increasingly interesting. In this work, a novel porous polyaminal-linked polymer, based on naphthalene and melamine (PAN-NA) building blocks, was successfully synthesized by a one-pot polycondensation method, and used as an adsorbent for both CO2 and heavy metals. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, solid-state 13 C NMR, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetry were used to characterize the prepared polymer. The porous material structure was established by field-emission scanning electron microscope and N2 adsorption-desorption methods at 77 K. The polymer exhibited excellent uptake of CO2, 133 mg/g at 273 K and 1 bar. In addition, the adsorption behavior of PAN-NA for different metal cations, including Pb(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Cd(II), Ni(II), and Ba(II), was investigated; a significant adsorption selectivity toward the Pb(II) cation was detected. The influence of pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentrations, and contact time was also assessed. Our results prove that the introduction of naphthalene in the polymer network improves the porosity and, thus, CO2 adsorption, as well as the adsorption of heavy metals.

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.

Multifunctional ionic porous frameworks for CO2 conversion and combating microbes

Porous organic frameworks (POFs) with a heteroatom rich ionic backbone have emerged as advanced materials for catalysis, molecular separation, and antimicrobial applications. The loading of metal ions further enhances Lewis acidity, augmenting the activity associated with such frameworks. Metal-loaded ionic POFs, however, often suffer from physicochemical instability, thereby limiting their scope for diverse applications. Herein, we report the fabrication of triaminoguanidinium-based ionic POFs through Schiff base condensation in a cost-effective and scalable manner. The resultant N-rich ionic frameworks facilitate selective CO2 uptake and afford high metal (Zn(ii): 47.2%) loading capacity. Owing to the ionic guanidinium core and ZnO infused mesoporous frameworks, Zn/POFs showed pronounced catalytic activity in the cycloaddition of CO2 and epoxides into cyclic organic carbonates under solvent-free conditions with high catalyst recyclability. The synergistic effect of infused ZnO and cationic triaminoguanidinium frameworks in Zn/POFs led to robust antibacterial (Gram-positive, Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative, Escherichia coli) and antiviral activity targeting HIV-1 and VSV-G enveloped lentiviral particles. We thus present triaminoguanidinium-based POFs and Zn/POFs as a new class of multifunctional materials for environmental remediation and biomedical applications.

Exceptionally Stable Microporous Organic Frameworks with Rigid Building Units for Efficient Small Gas Adsorption and Separation

Three microporous organic frameworks (hereafter denoted as MPOF-Ads) based on a rigid adamantane core have been successfully synthesized via Sonogashira-Hagihara polycondensation coupling in high yields, 83.7-94.6%. The obtained amorphous MPOF-Ads networks have high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas (up to 737.3 m² g^-1), narrow pore size distribution (0.95-1.06 nm), and superior thermal (the initial decomposition temperature T_5% under an N₂ atmosphere can reach 410 °C) and chemical stability (no apparent degradation in common organic solvents or strong acid/base solutions after 7 days). At 273 K and 1.0 bar, these MPOF-Ads networks present good uptake capacities for small gas molecules (13.9 wt % CO₂ and 1.66 wt % CH₄) for which the presence of high surface area, predominant microporosity, and narrow pore size distribution are beneficial. In addition, the as-prepared MPOF-Ads networks possess moderate isosteric heats for CO₂ (Q_st = 19.5-30.3 kJ mol^-1) and show desired CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity (36.3-38.4 and 4.1-4.3 based on Henry's law and 17.88-24.92 and 4.24-5.70 based on ideal adsorbed solution theory, respectively). With the demonstrated properties, the synthesized MPOF-Ads networks display potential for small gas storage and separation that can be used in harsh environments because of their superior physical and chemical stability.

Conjugated nanoporous polycarbazole bearing a cobalt complex for efficient visible-light driven hydrogen evolution

A conjugated nanoporous polycarbazole (CNP) cross-linked by pyridine and coordinated to Co(iii) displays high catalytic performance for visible light-driven H₂ generation.

Carbazole-functionalized hyper-cross-linked polymers for CO2 uptake based on Friedel-Crafts polymerization on 9-phenylcarbazole

To systematically explore the effects of the synthesis conditions on the porosity of hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs), a series of 9-phenylcarbazole (9-PCz) HCPs (P1-P11) has been made by changing the molar ratio of cross-linker to monomer, the reaction temperature T 1, the used amount of catalyst and the concentration of reactants. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to characterize the structure of the obtained polymers. The TG analysis of the HCPs showed good thermal stability. More importantly, a comparative study on the porosity revealed that: the molar ratio of cross-linker to monomer was the main influence factor of the BET specific surface area. Increasing the reaction temperature T 1 or changing the used amount of catalyst could improve the total pore volume greatly but sacrificed a part of the BET specific surface area. Fortunately changing the concentration of reactants could remedy this situation. Slightly changing the concentration of reactants could simultaneously obtain a high surface area and a high total pore volume. The BET specific surface areas of P3 was up to 769 m2 g-1 with narrow pore size distribution and the CO2 adsorption capacity of P11 was up to 52.4 cm3 g-1 (273 K/1.00 bar).

Visible-Light-Enhanced Suzuki-Miyaura Reactions of Aryl Chlorides in Water with Pd NPs Supported on a Conjugated Nanoporous Polycarbazole

The visible-light-enhanced catalytic activation of aryl chlorides for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling (SMC) reactions is highly challenging because of the strength of the C-Cl bond. In this work, palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were grown on a conjugated nanoporous polycarbazole (CNP), named Pd/CNP. The hybrid material Pd/CNP could catalyze the SMC reactions of aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids in water under blue LED irradiation at room temperature with high efficiency. This protocol exhibited good functional group tolerance and the catalyst could be recycled without significant loss of its catalytic activity. CNP not only provided photogenerated electrons to enrich the electron density of the Pd NPs but also generated holes for the activation of the arylboronic acids.

Highly Porous Hypercrosslinked Polymers Derived from Biobased Molecules

Highly porous and hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) have a range of applications and are typically synthesized in an unsustainable manner. Herein, HCPs were synthesized from abundant biobased or biorelated compounds in sulfolane with iron(III) chloride as Lewis acid catalyst. As reactants, quercetin, tannic acid, phenol, 1,4-dimethoxybenzene, glucose, and a commercial bark extract were used. The HCPs had high CO₂ uptake (up to 3.94 mmol g^-1 at 0 °C and 1 bar), total pore volumes (up to 1.86 cm³  g^-1 ), and specific surface areas (up to 1440 m²  g^-1 ). ¹ H NMR, ¹³ C NMR, and IR spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray scattering, elemental analysis, and SEM revealed, for example, that the HCPs consisted of amorphous and cross-linked aromatic and phenolic structures with significant contents of aliphatics, oxygen, and sulfur.

Amino-functionalized hypercrosslinked polymers for highly selective anionic dye removal and CO2/N2 separation

Recently, great improvements have been achieved in the fabrication of adsorbents.

Porous Polymers as Multifunctional Material Platforms toward Task-Specific Applications

Exploring advanced porous materials is of critical importance in the development of science and technology. Porous polymers, being famous for their all-organic components, tailored pore structures, and adjustable chemical components, have attracted an increasing level of research interest in a large number of applications, including gas adsorption/storage, separation, catalysis, environmental remediation, energy, optoelectronics, and health. Recent years have witnessed tremendous research breakthroughs in these fields thanks to the unique pore structures and versatile skeletons of porous polymers. Here, recent milestones in the diverse applications of porous polymers are presented, with an emphasis on the structural requirements or parameters that dominate their properties and functionalities. The Review covers the following applications: i) gas adsorption, ii) water treatment, iii) separation, iv) heterogeneous catalysis, v) electrochemical energy storage, vi) precursors for porous carbons, and vii) other applications (e.g., intelligent temperature control textiles, sensing, proton conduction, biomedicine, optoelectronics, and actuators). The key requirements for each application are discussed and an in-depth understanding of the structure-property relationships of these advanced materials is provided. Finally, a perspective on the future research directions and challenges in this field is presented for further studies.

Facile Synthesis of a Pentiptycene-Based Highly Microporous Organic Polymer for Gas Storage and Water Treatment

Rigid H-shaped pentiptycene units, with an intrinsic hierarchical structure, were employed to fabricate a highly microporous organic polymer sorbent via Friedel-Crafts reaction/polymerization. The obtained microporous polymer exhibits good thermal stability, a high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 1604 m² g^-1, outstanding CO₂, H₂, and CH₄ storage capacities, as well as good adsorption selectivities for the separation of CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ gas pairs. The CO₂ uptake values reached as high as 5.00 mmol g^-1 (1.0 bar and 273 K), which, along with high adsorption selectivity values (e.g., 47.1 for CO₂/N₂), make the pentiptycene-based microporous organic polymer (PMOP) a promising sorbent material for carbon capture from flue gas and natural gas purification. Moreover, the PMOP material displayed superior absorption capacities for organic solvents and dyes. For example, the maximum adsorption capacities for methylene blue and Congo red were 394 and 932 mg g^-1, respectively, promoting the potential of the PMOP as an excellent sorbent for environmental remediation and water treatment.

Potassium Tethered Carbons with Unparalleled Adsorption Capacity and Selectivity for Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide Capture from Flue Gas

Carbons are considered less favorable for postcombustion CO₂ capture because of their low affinity toward CO₂, and nitrogen doping was widely studied to enhance CO₂ adsorption, but the results are still unsatisfactory. Herein, we report a simple, scalable, and controllable strategy of tethering potassium to a carbon matrix, which can enhance carbon-CO₂ interaction effectively, and a remarkable working capacity of ca. 4.5 wt % under flue gas conditions was achieved, which is among the highest for carbon-based materials. More interestingly, a high CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 404 was obtained. Density functional theory calculations evidenced that the introduced potassium carboxylate moieties are responsible for such excellent performances. We also show the effectiveness of this strategy to be universal, and thus, cheaper precursors can be used, holding great promise for low-cost carbon capture from flue gas.

Use of steric encumbrance to develop conjugated nanoporous polymers for metal-free catalytic hydrogenation

The design and synthesis of metal-free heterogeneous catalysts for efficient hydrogenation remains a great challenge. Here we report a novel approach to create conjugated nanoporous polymers with efficient hydrogenation activities toward unsaturated ketones by leveraging the innate steric encumbrance. The steric bulk of the framework as well as the local sterics of the Lewis basic sites within the polymeric skeleton result in the generation of the putative catalyst. This approach opens up new possibilities for the development of innovative metal-free heterogeneous catalysts.

Knitting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-based microporous organic polymers for efficient CO2 capture

In order to achieve efficient CO₂ capture, four novel microporous organic polymers, based on distinct polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as fluoranthene, binaphthalene, naphthalene and phenanthrene, were successfully prepared by the solvent knitting method. N₂ sorption isotherms indicate that these polymers are predominately microporous with ultrahigh BET surface area i.e., 1788 m² g⁻¹ for fluoranthene-based Polymer 1, 1702 m² g⁻¹ for binaphthalene-based Polymer 2 and objective CO₂ uptake capacity of 24.79 wt% and 20.19 wt% (273.15 K/1.00 bar) respectively. While compared with the former two polymers, though 1227 m² g⁻¹ and 978 m² g⁻¹ are moderate in surface area, however the naphthalene-based Polymer 3 and phenanthrene-based Polymer 4 still exhibit CO₂ adsorption of up to 17.44 wt% and 18.15 wt% respectively under the similar conditions. Moreover, the H₂ storage and CH₄ adsorption in these polymers can be 2.20 wt% (77.3 K/1.13 bar) and 2.79 wt% (273.15 K/1.00 bar). More significantly, the electron-rich PAHs are proved to be new building blocks that provide a wealth of chances to produce hypercrosslinked polymers with efficient gas adsorption capacity, which are greatly influenced by the porous nature of polymers. Given the merits including mild reaction conditions, low cost, high surface area, impressive gas absorption performance, high thermal stability, these polymers are considered to be promising candidates for CO₂ capture and energy storage under more practical conditions.

In order to achieve efficient CO₂ capture, four novel microporous organic polymers, based on distinct polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were successfully prepared by the solvent knitting method.

Synthesis of tunable porosity of fluorine-enriched porous organic polymer materials with excellent CO2, CH4 and iodine adsorption

We herein report the construction of four the novel fluorine-enriched conjugated microporous polymers (FCMP-600@1-4), which have permanent porous structures and plenty of fluorine atoms in the skeletons as effective sorption sites. Among them, FCMP-600@4 shows considerable adsorption capacity of CO₂ of 5.35 mmol g⁻¹ at 273 K, and 4.18 mmol g⁻¹ at 298 K, which is higher than the reported values for most porous polymers. In addition, FCMP-600@1-4 display high selectivity of CO₂/N₂ and high CH₄ uptakes.

Solid-State Synthesis of Conjugated Nanoporous Polycarbazoles

A novel solid-state synthetic approach has been developed for the generation of conjugated nanoporous polymer networks. Using mechanochemical-assisted oxidative coupling polymerization, we demonstrated a rapid and solvent-free synthesis of conjugated polycarbazoles with high porosities and promising CO₂ storage abilities. This innovative approach constitutes a new direction for the development of novel nanoporous polymer frameworks through sustainable solid-state assembly pathways, and may open up new possibilities for the rational design and synthesis of nanoporous materials for carbon capture.

Pd-Metalated Conjugated Nanoporous Polycarbazoles for Additive-Free Cyanation of Aryl Halides: Boosting Catalytic Efficiency through Spatial Modulation

Transition-metal-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides is a common route to benzonitriles, which are integral to many industrial procedures. However, traditional homogeneous catalysts for such processes are expensive and suffer poor recyclability, so a heterogeneous analogue is highly desired. A novel spatial modulation approach has been developed to fabricate a heterogeneous Pd-metalated nanoporous polymer, which catalyzes the cyanation of aryl halides without need for ligands. The catalyst displays high activity in the synthesis of benzonitriles, including high product yields, excellent stability and recycling, and broad functional-group tolerance.

Microporous organic polymers involving thiadiazolopyridine for high and selective uptake of greenhouse gases at low pressure

Thiadiazolopyridine-based microporous organic polymers were shown to exhibit a remarkably high uptake of CO₂ of 5.8 mmol g⁻¹ at 273 K and 1 bar.

Targeted control over the porosities and functionalities of conjugated microporous polycarbazole networks for CO2-selective capture and H2 storage

Target controllable conjugated microporous polycarbazole networks with pyridine-, bipyridine-, and cyano-functionalized networks exhibit a large surface area and tunable gas uptake.

Superacid-promoted synthesis of highly porous hypercrosslinked polycarbazoles for efficient CO2 capture

A superacid-promoted “knitting” strategy has been developed for the generation of hypercrosslinked nanoporous polycarbazoles for efficient CO₂ capture.

N-Doped porous carbon nanotubes: synthesis and application in catalysis

Hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were prepared; they exhibited high catalytic efficiency for C–H arylation, hydrogen transfer and oxidation reactions.

Synthesis of Benzobisoxazole-Linked Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks and Their Carbon Dioxide Capture Properties

Developing novel synthetic strategies to construct crystalline polymeric materials with excellent chemical stability and high carbon capture capacity has become a challenging process. Herein, we report the synthesis of two novel 2D benzobisoxazole-linked covalent organic frameworks (BBO-COFs) utilizing C₃-symmetric formyl- and C₂-symmetric o-aminophenol-substituted molecular building blocks. The BBO-COFs exhibit excellent water stability, high surface areas, and great CO₂ uptake capacities. This general synthetic method affords the opportunity to prepare ordered BBO-based polymeric materials for carbon capture, chemical sensing, and organic electronic applications.

Site Partition: Turning One Site into Two for Adsorbing CO2

We propose the concept of site partition to explain the role of guest molecules in increasing CO2 uptake in metal-organic frameworks and to design new covalent porous materials for CO2 capture. From grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of CO2 sorption in the recently synthesized CPM-33 MOFs, we show that guest insertion divides one open metal site into two relatively strong binding sites, hence dramatically increasing CO2 uptake. Further, we extend the site partition concept to covalent organic frameworks with large free volume. After insertion of a designed geometry-matching guest, we show that the volumetric uptake of CO2 doubles. Therefore, the concept of site partition can be used to engineer the pore space of nanoporous materials for higher gas uptake.

BODIPY-containing porous organic polymers for gas adsorption

BODIPY-containing microporous organic polymers were synthesized via a Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling reaction of a BODIPY derivative and a range of aryl–alkyne monomers.