An Azo-Group-Functionalized Porous Aromatic Framework for Achieving Highly Efficient Capture of Iodine

The strong radioactivity of iodine compounds derived from nuclear power plant wastes has motivated the development of highly efficient adsorbents. Porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) have attracted much attention due to their low density and diverse structure. In this work, an azo group containing PAF solid, denoted as LNU-58, was prepared through Suzuki polymerization of tris-(4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-phenyl)-amine and 3,5-dibromoazobenzene building monomers. Based on the specific polarity properities of the azo groups, the electron-rich aromatic fragments in the hierarchical architecture efficiently capture iodine molecules with an adsorption capacity of 3533.11 mg g−1 (353 wt%) for gaseous iodine and 903.6 mg g−1 (90 wt%) for dissolved iodine. The iodine uptake per specific surface area up to 8.55 wt% m−2 g−1 achieves the highest level among all porous adsorbents. This work illustrates the successful preparation of a new type of porous adsorbent that is expected to be applied in the field of practical iodine adsorption.

Tröger's Base Network Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (TB-PIMs) with Tunable Pore Size for Heterogeneous Catalysis

Heterogeneous catalysis plays a pivotal role in the preparation of value-added chemicals, and it works more efficiently when combined with porous materials and supports. Because of that, a detailed assessment of porosity and pore size is essential when evaluating the performance of new heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of novel microporous Tröger’s base polymers and copolymers (TB-PIMs) with tunable pore size. The basicity of TB sites is exploited to catalyze the Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehydes and malononitrile, and the dimension of the pores can be systematically adjusted with an appropriate selection of monomers and comonomers. The tunability of the pore size provides the enhanced accessibility of the catalytic sites for substrates, which leads to a great improvement in conversions, with the best results achieving completion in only 20 min. In addition, it enables the use of large benzaldehydes, which is prevented when using polymers with very small pores, typical of conventional PIMs. The catalytic reaction is more efficient than the corresponding homogeneous counterpart and is ultimately optimized with the addition of a small amount of a solvent, which facilitates the swelling of the pores and leads to a further improvement in the performance and to a better carbon economy. Molecular dynamic modeling of the copolymers’ structures is employed to describe the swellability of flexible chains, helping the understanding of the improved performance and demonstrating the great potential of these novel materials.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes and their precursors in functionalised porous materials

Though N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have emerged as diverse and powerful discrete functional molecules in pharmaceutics, nanotechnology, and catalysis over decades, the heterogenization of NHCs and their precursors for broader applications in porous materials, like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), porous coordination polymers (PCPs), covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), porous organic polymers (POPs), and porous organometallic cages (POMCs) was not extensively studied until the last ten years. By de novo or post-synthetic modification (PSM) methods, myriads of NHCs and their precursors containing building blocks were designed and integrated into MOFs, PCPs, COFs, POPs and POMCs to form various structures and porosities. Functionalisation with NHCs and their precursors significantly expands the scope of the potential applications of porous materials by tuning the pore surface chemical/physical properties, providing active sites for binding guest molecules and substrates and realizing recyclability. In this review, we summarise and discuss the recent progress on the synthetic methods, structural features, and promising applications of NHCs and their precursors in functionalised porous materials. At the end, a brief perspective on the encouraging future prospects and challenges in this contemporary field is presented. This review will serve as a guide for researchers to design and synthesize more novel porous materials functionalised with NHCs and their precursors.

Biological Application of Porous Aromatic Frameworks: State of the Art and Opportunities

Porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) were first reported in 2009 and have quickly attracted much attention because of their exceptionally ultrahigh specific surface area (5800 m²·g^-1). Uniquely, PAFs are constructed from carbon-carbon-bond-linked aromatic-based building units, which render PAFs extremely stable in various environments. At present, PAFs have been applied in many fields, such as adsorption, catalysis, ion exchange, electrochemistry, and so on. However, for such a unique material, its application in the biological fields is still rarely explored. Therefore, this Perspective introduces the reported application of PAFs in biological fields, for instance, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, artificial enzymes, drug delivery, and extraction of bioactive substances. Major challenges and opportunities for future research on PAFs in biology and biomedicine are identified in diagnostic platforms, novel drug carriers/antidotes, and novel artificial enzymes.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks: A Review

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are relatively recent materials. They have received great attention due to their interesting properties. However, the application of microwaves in their synthesis, despite its advantages such as faster and more reproducible processes, is a minority. Herein, a comprehensive compilation of the research results published in the microwave-assisted synthesis (MAS) of COFs is presented. This review includes articles of 2D and 3D COFs prepared using microwaves as source of energy. The articles have been classified depending on the functional groups including boronate ester, imines, enamines, azines, and triazines, among others. It compiles the main parameters of synthesis and characteristics of the materials together with some general issues related with COFs and microwaves. Additionally, current and future perspectives of the topic have been discussed.

Palladium Catalysts Based on Porous Aromatic Frameworks, Modified with Ethanolamino-Groups, for Hydrogenation of Alkynes, Alkenes and Dienes

The current work describes an attempt to synthesize hybrid materials combining porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) and dendrimers and use them to obtain novel highly active and selective palladium catalysts. PAFs are carbon porous materials with rigid aromatic structure and high stability, and the dendrimers are macromolecules which can effectively stabilize metal nanoparticles and tune their activity in catalytic reactions. Two porous aromatic frameworks, PAF-20 and PAF-30, are modified step-by-step with diethanolamine and hydroxyl groups at the ends of which are replaced by new diethanolamine molecules. Then, palladium nanoparticles are applied to the synthesized materials. Properties of the obtained materials and catalysts are investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, low temperature N2 adsorption and elemental analysis. The resulting catalysts are successfully applied as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for selective hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes at very high (up to 90,000) substrate/Pd ratios.

A Porous Aromatic Framework Functionalized with Luminescent Iridium(III) Organometallic Complexes for Turn-On Sensing of 99TcO4. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020;12:15288-15297. [PMID: 32131587 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c01929]

Contamination of ⁹⁹TcO₄^-, a problematic radioactive anion in the nuclear fuel cycle, in groundwater has been observed in a series of legacy nuclear sites, representing a notable radiation hazard and environmental concern. The development of convenient, rapid, and sensitive detection methods is therefore critical for radioactivity control and remediation tasks. Traditional detection methods suffer from clear demerits of either the presence of large interference from coexisting radioactive species (e.g., radioactivity counting methods) or the requirement of extensive instrumentation and analysis procedure (e.g., mass spectrometry). Here, we constructed a luminescent iridium(III) organometallic complex (Ir(ppy)₂(bpy)⁺; ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, bpy = 2,2^'-bipyridine)-grafted porous aromatic framework (Ir-PAF) for the first time, which can be utilized for efficient, facile, and selective detection of trace ReO₄^-/TcO₄^- in aqueous solutions. Importantly, the luminescence intensity of Ir-PAF is greatly enhanced in the presence of ReO₄^-/TcO₄^-, giving rise to a distinct turn-on sensor with the detection limit of 556.9 μg/L. Such a superior detection capability originates from the highly selective and strong interaction between ReO₄^-/TcO₄^- and Ir(ppy)₂(bpy)⁺, leading to an efficient pre-enrichment of ReO₄^-/TcO₄^- during analysis and subsequently a much weaker nonradiative decay of the luminescence of Ir(ppy)₂(bpy)⁺, as illustrated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation as well as quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime measurements. Successful quantification of trace ReO₄^- in simulated Hanford low-activity waste (LAW) solution containing large excess of Cl^-, NO₃^-, and NO₂^- was demonstrated, highlighting the bright future of luminescent PAFs in the area of chemical sensing.

Porous Aromatic Frameworks (PAFs)

Porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) represent an important category of porous solids. PAFs possess rigid frameworks and exceptionally high surface areas, and, uniquely, they are constructed from carbon-carbon-bond-linked aromatic-based building units. Various functionalities can either originate from the intrinsic chemistry of their building units or are achieved by postmodification of the aromatic motifs using established reactions. Specially, the strong carbon-carbon bonding renders PAFs stable under harsh chemical treatments. Therefore, PAFs exhibit specificity in their chemistry and functionalities compared with conventional porous materials such as zeolites and metal organic frameworks. The unique features of PAFs render them being tolerant of severe environments and readily functionalized by harsh chemical treatments. The research field of PAFs has experienced rapid expansion over the past decade, and it is necessary to provide a comprehensive guide to the essential development of the field at this stage. Regarding research into PAFs, the synthesis, functionalization, and applications are the three most important topics. In this thematic review, the three topics are comprehensively explained and aptly exemplified to shed light on developments in the field. Current questions and a perspective outlook will be summarized.

Porous aromatic framework with mesopores as a platform for a super-efficient heterogeneous Pd-based organometallic catalysis

A strategy using a mesoporous amine-tagged porous aromatic framework (PAF70-NH₂ ) to immobilize a palladium (Pd)-based molecular catalyst has been developed. The resulting immobilized catalyst PAF70-Pd, in which the framework is entirely constructed by phenyl rings linked with stable carbon-carbon bonds, has high structural rigidity and stability. Compared with the known porous organic material immobilized Pd-based catalysts, PAF70-Pd has the highest Pd content so far. Moreover, PAF70-Pd has extremely high catalytic activity with good size selectivity and very easy recyclability in catalyzing the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. In the current system, the catalyst loading could be as low as 0.001 mol% and the TOF value could go up to 28 800 h^-1 which is far higher than those of the known porous organic material immobilized Pd-based catalysts. In order to elucidate the particularly high catalytic efficiency of PAF70-Pd, we prepared PAF1-Pd from PAF1-NH₂ for comparison. PAF1-Pd has a higher Pd content than PAF70-Pd. However, due to the absence of large enough mesopores in PAF1-NH₂ , PAF1-Pd has almost no catalytic activity under the same conditions, which definitely demonstrated that the intrinsic mesoporosity of PAF70-NH₂ plays a crucial role in the superb catalytic efficiency of PAF70-Pd. This strategy to immobilize Pd-based molecular catalysts has very good expansibility to be applied in the immobilization of different organometallic catalysts into the pores of PAFs, which also has very high potential in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

Task-specific design of a hierarchical porous aromatic framework as an ultrastable platform for large-sized catalytic active site binding

An amine-tagged hierarchical PAF (PAF70-NH2) with narrowly distributed mesopores and ultra-stability was synthesized and used as a platform to bind thiourea catalytic sites for completely recyclable heterogeneous organocatalysis.