ABSTRACT
A series of dialdehyde compounds were synthesized and reacted with the complementary triamines (either planar or pyramidal with a 109.5° vertex) in a 3:2 ratio to explore the structural requirements on the building blocks for the successful construction of shape-persistent, covalent organic polyhedrons (COPs). Structural variations in the building blocks included the distance and angle between the two reactive sites (aldehyde or amine functional groups) and the absence/presence of solubilizing chains. Computer modeling was utilized to determine and compare the thermodynamic stabilities of some of these COP structures. Furthermore, gas adsorption studies were performed to explore the potential of these molecular cages for gas separation, particularly carbon capture, applications.
ABSTRACT
A series of novel organic cage compounds 1-4 were successfully synthesized from readily available starting materials in one-pot in decent to excellent yields (46-90%) through a dynamic covalent chemistry approach (imine condensation reaction). Covalently cross-linked cage framework 14 was obtained through the cage-to-framework strategy via the Sonogashira coupling of cage 4 with the 1,4-diethynylbenzene linker molecule. Cage compounds 1-4 and framework 14 exhibited exceptional high ideal selectivity (36/1-138/1) in adsorption of CO(2) over N(2) under the standard temperature and pressure (STP, 20 °C, 1 bar). Gas adsorption studies indicate that the high selectivity is provided not only by the amino group density (mol/g), but also by the intrinsic pore size of the cage structure (distance between the top and bottom panels), which can be tuned by judiciously choosing building blocks of different size. The systematic studies on the structure-property relationship of this novel class of organic cages are reported herein for the first time; they provide critical knowledge on the rational design principle of these cage-based porous materials that have shown great potential in gas separation and carbon capture applications.
ABSTRACT
Phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium tris(2-phenylpyridine) derivatives were designed and incorporated into coordination polymers as tricarboxylate bridging ligands. Three different crystalline coordination polymers were synthesized using a solvothermal technique and were characterized using a variety of methods, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction, PXRD, TGA, IR spectroscopy, gas adsorption measurements, and luminescence measurements. The coordination polymer built from Ir[3-(2-pyridyl)benzoate](3), 1, was found to be highly porous with a nitrogen BET surface area of 764 m(2)/g, whereas the coordination polymers built from Ir[4-(2-pyridyl)benzoate](3), 2 and 3, were nonporous. The (3)MLCT phosphorescence of each of the three coordination polymers was quenched in the presence of O(2). However, only 1 showed quick and reversible luminescence quenching by oxygen, whereas 2 and 3 exhibited gradual and irreversible luminescence quenching by oxygen. The high permanent porosity of 1 allows for rapid diffusion of oxygen through the open channels, leading to efficient and reversible quenching of the (3)MLCT phosphorescence. This work highlights the opportunity of designing highly porous and luminescent coordination polymers for sensing other important analytes.
