Lithium tetrakis(4-boronatoaryl)borates were subjected to polycondensation reactions with selected polyhydroxyl monomers such as 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene (HHTP) and 2,3,6,7-tetrahydroxy-9,10-dimethylanthracene (THDMA). Obtained boronate-type ionic porous polymers TAB1–4 were characterized by PXRD, ⁶Li and ¹¹B magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), FT-IR, SEM, and TGA. They exhibit relatively good sorption of H₂ (up to 75 cm³/g STP), whereas N₂ uptake at 77 K for lower pressure range is relatively poor (up to 50 cm³/g STP below P/P₀ = 0.8). In addition, the effect of elongation of aryl arms in the tetraarylborate core on the materials’ properties was studied. Thus, it was found that replacement of the 4-boronatophenyl with 4-boronatobiphenylyl group has a negative impact on the sorption characteristics. Full article

A nickel-functionalized copper metal–organic framework (Ni@Cu-MOF) was prepared by a facile volatilization method and a post-modification synthesis method at room temperature. The obtained Ni@Cu-MOF electrode delivered a high capacitance of 526 F/g at 1 A/g and had a long-term cycling stability (80% retention after 1200 cycles at 1 A/g) in a 6 M KOH aqueous solution. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor device was assembled from this Ni@Cu-MOF and activated carbon electrodes. The fabricated supercapacitor delivered a high capacitance of 48.7 F/g at 1 A/g and a high energy density of 17.3 Wh/kg at a power density of 798.5 kW/kg. This study indicates that the Ni@Cu-MOF has great potential for supercapacitor applications. Full article

Microporous organic polymers and related porous materials have been applied in a wide range of practical applications such as adsorption, catalysis, adsorption, and sensing fields. However, some limitations, like wide pore size distribution, may limit their further applications, especially for adsorption. Here, micro- and ultra-microporous frameworks (HBPBA-D and TBBPA-D) were designed and synthesized via Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling of six/eight-arm bromophenyl adamantane-based “knots” and alkynes-type “rod” monomers. The BET surface area and pore size distribution of these frameworks were in the region of 395–488 m² g⁻¹, 0.9–1.1 and 0.42 nm, respectively. The as-made prepared frameworks also showed good chemical ability and high thermal stability up to 350 °C, and at 800 °C only 30% mass loss was observed. Their adsorption capacities for small gas molecules such as CO₂ and CH₄ was 8.9–9.0 wt % and 1.43–1.63 wt % at 273 K/1 bar, and for the toxic organic vapors n-hexane and benzene, 104–172 mg g⁻¹ and 144–272 mg g⁻¹ at 298 K/0.8 bar, respectively. These are comparable to many porous polymers with higher BET specific surface areas or after functionalization. These properties make the resulting frameworks efficient absorbent alternatives for small gas or toxic vapor capture, especially in harsh environments. Full article

Zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) with tunable pore sizes and high surface areas have recently emerged as a promising support for immobilizing enzymes. However, the instability in the aqueous acidic environment and difficulty of recovery has limited their practical applications in some cases. In this study, catalase/ZIF-8 composites with a protective nanocoating were prepared by the controlled self-assembly of silanes or coordination complexes (tannic acid (TA) and Fe³⁺). The properties of the catalase (CAT)/ZIF-8 composites with a protective nanocoating were also determined. The recovered activity of CAT/ZIF-8 and CAT/ZIF-8 with protective nanocoating was 70% and 65%, respectively. Compared with the conventional CAT/ZIF-8 composites, CAT/ZIF-8 with protective nanocoating exhibited excellent acid resistance. For example, after treatment for 60 min in phosphate buffer solution (pH 3.0), CAT/ZIF-8 composites only maintained 20% of their initial activity (about 12 U/mg). However, CAT/ZIF-8 with a protective nanocoating could still retain about 50% of its initial activity (about 10 U/mg). Meanwhile, the thermostability and storage stability of the CAT/ZIF-8 composites was enhanced significantly due to the presence of nanocoating compared with conventional CAT/ZIF-8. More importantly, the CAT/ZIF-8 with a protective nanocoating retained 40% of its initial activity after 7 cycles, whereas CAT/ZIF-8 only retained 8% of the initial activity. The approach in this study could be an efficient strategy to prepare enzyme/ZIF-8 composites with both high acid resistance and excellent recyclability. Full article

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are established as an emerging class of porous organic polymers with remarkable features such as large surface area and permanent porosity, high thermal and chemical stability, and convenient functionalization that promotes great potential in heterogeneous catalysis. In this article, we systematically present the structural design of CTFs as a versatile scaffold to develop heterogeneous catalysts for a variety of chemical reactions. We mainly focus on the functionalization of CTFs, including their use for incorporating and stabilization of nanoparticles and immobilization of molecular complexes onto the frameworks. Full article