Disulfide network polymers absorb ether and chloroalkane selectively

Yavuz and team reported that disulfide linked network polymers from aliphatic building blocks show selective uptake by swelling when treated with ethers and chloro-alkanes. Although the polymers are non-porous, the gate opening behavior by certain functional groups could provide effective separations. Since water and alcohols are almost rejected, it could be useful in water treatment or product separation in chemical industry.

Reference:
Exceptional organic solvent uptake by disulfide polymeric networks
H. A. Patel, M. S. Yavuz, C. T. Yavuz*
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 24320-24323 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA03355H

Nanoporous covalent organic polymers incorporating Troger's base functionalities for enhanced CO2 capture

J. Byun, S. H. Je, H. A. Patel, A. Coskun,* C. T. Yavuz*
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 12507-12512. DOI: 10.1039/C4TA00698D

Notes & Highlights:

Among the highest, TB-COP-1 shows CO2 uptake of 5.19 mmol/g at 1 bar 273 K. Qst is 26 kj/mol, physisorptive.

A non-porous TB-COP-2 captures 0.95 mmol/g CO2.

A perfluorinated covalent triazine-based framework for highly selective and water–tolerant CO2 capture

Y. Zhao, K. X. Yao, B. Teng, T. Zhang, Y. Han*
Energy Environ. Sci., 2013, 6, 3684-3692. DOI: 10.1039/C3EE42548G

Notes & Highlights:

• FCTF-1 has one of the highest physisorptive (Q⁰_{st, FCTF-1} = 35 kj/mol) CO₂ capacities ever recorded: 5.53 mmol/g at 273 K and 1 bar (1.76 at 0.1)
• CO₂/N₂ selectivity increased when mixed gas measured compared to pure gas calculations. This verifies a 2011 observation by Guiver et al.
• Moisture (0.03 bar, % 100 RH) lowered CO₂ uptake 12 % at 298 K.

Polymer nanosieve membranes for CO2-capture applications

N. Du, H. B. Park, G. P. Robertson, M. M. Dal-Cin, T. Visser, L. Scoles, M. D. Guiver*
Nature Mater., 2011, 10,  372-375 DOI: 10.1038/NMAT2989

Notes & Highlights:

• TZPIM-1 is one of the few membranes that broke the Robeson plot for CO2/N2 selectivity.
• Guiver also proved calculations from single gas isotherms show lesser selectivity than actual mixed gas measurements.

Functional Materials: From Hard to Soft Porous Frameworks

Arne Thomas*
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2010, 49, 8328 – 8344 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201000167

Notes & Highlights:

• One of the rare reviews that captures the contrast between hard (mostly inorganic) and soft (organic) framework structures.
• All materials have function, there is no such thing as "functional" material.