Abstract
A flexible and free standing conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) membrane was prepared using a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) electrospun membrane as a template. The PVP nanofibers of the template membrane were coated with a thin layer of the CMP through the in situ Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction of 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene and 1,4-diiodobenzene. The PVP nanofibers were removed by the solvent extraction to produce the CMP membrane, which retained the entangled fibrous structure of the template membrane. Each fiber showed a hollow tubular structure having a CMP wall with a thickness of tens of nanometers. The microporous polymer membrane exhibited a high BET surface area with hierarchical porosity and good permeability. As a catalytic CMP membrane, the Ag nanoparticle-immobilized microporous polymer membrane was fabricated using an electrospun PVP@Ag membrane as a template. After being coated with the CMP, the PVP nanofibers were removed by the solvent extraction, but the Ag nanoparticles were trapped in the microporous polymer shell. The catalytic CMP membrane was successfully used for the catalytic reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol. The hollow tubular structure and hierarchical porosity of the membrane allowed for the reactants to easily penetrate into the CMP wall and to contact the Ag nanoparticles, resulting in the high catalytic activity.
Highlights
Porous polymer films have a broad range of applications as membranes such as in fuel cells, sensors, drug delivery systems, and catalysis in addition to their conventional uses in filtration and separation of liquids and gasses[1,2,3,4,5,6]
An electrospun membrane was prepared as a sacrificial template by electrospinning a PVP solution (10 wt%) in DMF/ethanol (1:1, w/w); and Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction of 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene and 1,4-diiodobenzene[19] was carried out in the presence of the PVP membrane to produce the conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) coated PVP membrane (PVP@CMP membrane)
We presented a novel method for the fabrication of the CMP membrane using the electrospun PVP membrane as a template
Summary
Porous polymer films have a broad range of applications as membranes such as in fuel cells, sensors, drug delivery systems, and catalysis in addition to their conventional uses in filtration and separation of liquids and gasses[1,2,3,4,5,6]. Microporous organic polymers are an important class of porous materials having large specific surface areas, high physical stabilities, and tunable pore structures[8,9,10]. Their practical applications are considerably limited due to poor processability. The CMP membrane comprised of hollow tubular fibers was prepared using an electrospun nanofiber membrane as a sacrificial template. The CMP membrane had hierarchical porosity, where macropores inherited from the nonwoven electrospun nanofiber membrane and meso- and micropores of the microporous organic polymer coexisted. Each fiber showed a hollow tubular structure having a microporous organic polymer wall with a thickness of tens of nanometers. The reaction occurred when the reactants passed through the membrane, allowing the easy control of contact time between the reactants and the catalyst
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
