The development of crystalline porous materials (CPMs) with high chemical stability is of paramount importance for their practical uses. Here we report the synthesis of novel polyarylether covalent organic frameworks (PAE-COFs) with high crystallinity, porosity and exceptional chemical stability due to the inert nature of polyarylether building blocks. We demonstrate that these materials can be stable against harsh chemical environments involving boiling water, strong acids/bases, oxidation and reduction conditions, which exceed all known CPMs, including zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and COFs. Furthermore, we explore their advantages as an efficient platform for structural design and functional evolution. The functionalized PAE-COFs combine porosity, high stability, and recyclability, and deliver outstanding performance in the removal of antibiotics from water over a wide pH range.
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of porous crystalline polymers with wide range of potential applications. However, the availability of three-dimensional (3D) COFs is still limited, and their synthesis is confined to the high-temperature solvothermal method. Here, we report for the first time a general and simple strategy to produce a series of 3D ionic liquid (IL)-containing COFs (3D-IL-COFs) by using IL as a green solvent. The syntheses are carried out at ambient temperature and pressure accompanied by a high reaction speed (e.g., only three mins for 3D-IL-COF-1), and the IL can be reused without activity loss. Furthermore, the 3D-IL-COFs show impressive performance in the separation of CO/N and CO/CH. This research thus presents a potential pathway to green large-scale industrial production of COFs.
Chemical functionalization of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is critical for tuning their properties and broadening their potential applications. However, the introduction of functional groups, especially to three-dimensional (3D) COFs, still remains largely unexplored. Reported here is a general strategy for generating a 3D carboxy-functionalized COF through postsynthetic modification of a hydroxy-functionalized COF, and for the first time exploration of the 3D carboxy-functionalized COF in the selective extraction of lanthanide ions. The obtained COF shows high crystallinity, good chemical stability, and large specific surface area. Furthermore, the carboxy-functionalized COF displays high metal loading capacities together with excellent adsorption selectivity for Nd over Sr and Fe as confirmed by the Langmuir adsorption isotherms and ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) calculations. This study not only provides a strategy for versatile functionalization of 3D COFs, but also opens a way to their use in environmentally related applications.
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of porous crystalline polymers with broad potential applications. So far, the availability of three-dimensional (3D) COFs is limited and more importantly only one type of covalent bond has been successful used for 3D COF materials. Here, we report a new synthetic strategy based on dual linkages that leads to 3D COFs. The obtained 3D COFs show high specific surface areas and large gas uptake capacities, which makes them the top COF material for gas uptake. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the new 3D COFs comprise both acidic and basic sites, and act as excellent bifunctional catalysts for one-pot cascade reactions. The new synthetic strategy provides not only a general and versatile approach to synthesize 3D COFs with sophisticated structures but also expands the potential applications of this promising class of porous materials.
The development of three-dimensional (3D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high chemical stability is of critical importance for their practical use. In this work, it is demonstrated that the stability of 3D COFs can be improved by periodic decoration of isopropyl groups on their backbones. Owing to the strong hydrophobicity of the alkyl groups, the resultant COFs show high crystallinity, permanent pores, and exceptional stability in harsh environments, such as strong acids (3 m HCl or 3 m H 2 SO 4 for one week), a strong base (20 m NaOH for one week), and boiling water (100 8C for one month). Furthermore, these highly stable and hydrophobic COFs display excellent oil/water separation performance with > 99 % separation efficiency over a wide pH range. This work demonstrates the use of alkyl decoration in 3D COFs to tune their chemical stability and expand their potential applications.
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