Porous polymers. For an effective CO2 capture and separation, we built over 200 nanoporous network polymers (Covalent Organic Polymers, COPs). COP-1 recorded the highest CO2 capacity ever measured in any materials to date (128 mmol/g, J. Mater. Chem. 2012, 22, 8431). Targeting the pre-combustion conditions, COP-2 shows a near infinite selectivity for CO2 over hydrogen gas.
Charge dependent separation of organic molecules from water. Ultramicroporous fluoropolymer network (COP-99) was developed from a self-condensation reaction of perfluoro hydroquinone and shown to separate water-soluble organics by their size and charges (Nature Commun. 2016, 7, 13377).
Nanoporous polymers as base catalysts. Porous polymers contain basic heteroatoms like nitrogens which can act as catalysts. We found that base catalyzed reactions such as Strecker synthesis can be effectively promoted by box-COPs without the need for metals (Adv. Sustain. Syst. 2017, 1, 1700089).
Methane storage in porous polymers. Inexpensive nanoporous polymers were constructed from widely available building blocks to deliver high Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) capacity when cycled between 5 and 100 bar pressures.