A Thiazole-linked Covalent Organic Framework for Lithium-Sulphur Batteries.

Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries are a promising alternative power source, as they can provide a higher energy density than current lithium-ion batteries. Porous materials are often used as cathode materials as they can act as a host for sulphur in such batteries. Recently, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have also been used, however they typically suffer from stability issues, resulting in limited and thus insufficient durability under practical conditions and applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of a crystalline and porous imine-linked triazine-based dimethoxybenzo-dithiophene functionalized COF (TTT-DMTD) incorporating high-density redox sites. The imine linkages were further post-synthetically transformed to yield a robust thiazole-linked COF (THZ-DMTD) by utilizing a sulphur-assisted chemical conversion method, while maintaining the crystallinity. As a synergistic effect of its high crystallinity, porosity and the presence of redox-active moieties, the thiazole-linked THZ-DMTD exhibited a high capacity and long-term stability (642 mAh g-1 at 1.0 C; 78.9 % capacity retention after 200 cycles) when applied as a cathode material in a Li-S battery.

Immobilization of an Iridium Pincer Complex in a Microporous Polymer for Application in Room-Temperature Gas Phase Catalysis.

An iridium dihydride pincer complex [IrH2 (POCOP)] is immobilized in a hydroxy-functionalized microporous polymer network using the concepts of surface organometallic chemistry. The introduction of this novel, truly innocent support with remote OH-groups enables the formation of isolated active metal sites embedded in a chemically robust and highly inert environment. The catalyst maintained high porosity and without prior activation exhibited efficacy in the gas phase hydrogenation of ethene and propene at room temperature and low pressure. The catalyst can be recycled for at least four times.

Triggering White-Light Emission in a 2D Imine Covalent Organic Framework Through Lanthanide Augmentation.

Recently, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as an interesting class of porous materials, featuring tunable porosity and fluorescence properties based on reticular construction principles. Some COFs display highly emissive monocolored luminescence, but attaining white-light emission from COFs is difficult as it must account for a wide wavelength range. White-light emission is highly desired for solid-state lighting applications, and obtaining it usually demands the combination of red-, green-, and blue-light components. Hence, to achieve the targeted white-light emission, we report for the first time grafting of lanthanides (Eu3+/Tb3+) on a two-dimensional imine COF (TTA-DFP-COF). We studied the luminescence properties of the hybrid materials prepared by anchoring Eu3+ (red light) and Tb3+ (green light) ß-diketonate complexes onto the TTA-DFP-COF. Reticular construction is exploited to design strong coordination of Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions into nitrogen-rich pockets of the imine COF. Mixed Eu3+/Tb3+ materials are then prepared to incorporate red and green components along with the inherent blue light from the organic moieties of the COF to produce white-light emission. We show that COFs have the potential for hosting Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes, which can be tuned to obtain desired excitations for applications in the field of optoelectronics, microscopy, optical sensing, and bioassay.

Trends and challenges for microporous polymers.

Microporous polymers are covalently bound, entirely organic materials which possess very high surface areas. These materials have been intensively studied within recent years and various interesting properties and possible applications have been discovered and described. This review article starts with the question, what makes microporous polymers special and are there certain features which differentiate them from other microporous materials? Indeed, there are some special structural and functional features found in microporous polymers which make them really unique and merit further exploration. We focus here on microporous polymers which are solution-processable, can be produced as thin films on electrodes by oxidative polymerizations, are π-conjugated organic semiconductors, or which provide the possibility to introduce and exploit distinct functional groups in an otherwise non-functional highly porous environment. Emerging applications for these microporous polymers which make explicit use of these unique features are further presented.

THF: an efficient electron donor in continuous flow radical cyclization photocatalyzed by graphitic carbon nitride.

Mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3 N4 ) was found to be an efficient heterogeneous photocatalyst for the metal-free radical cyclization of 2-bromo-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. Reactions leading to functionalized cyclopentanes proceed under mild conditions and can be conducted in a continuous flow photoreactor. Compared to the batch reaction, the use of a continuous flow reactor resulted in a significant reduction in reaction time (complete conversion of 0.04 mmol of substrate in a batch was achieved after 4 h, whereas in a flow reactor the same amount of substrate was fully converted into a product within 40 min). Mechanistic studies of the reaction showed that THF plays not only the role of solvent, but is also a crucial hydrogen and electron donor.