Nanofibrils of a CuII-Thiophenyltriazine-Based Porous Polymer: A Diverse Heterogeneous Nanocatalyst

Abstract

Herein, we report knitting of a thiophenyltriazine-based porous organic polymer (TTPOP) with high surface area and high abundance of nitrogen and sulfur sites, synthesized through a simple one-step Friedel–Crafts reaction of 2,4,6-tri(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine and formaldehyde dimethyl acetal in the presence of anhydrous FeCl3, and thereafter grafting of Cu(OAc)2·H2O in the porous polymer framework to achieve the potential catalyst (CuII-TTPOP). TTPOP and CuII-TTPOP were characterized thoroughly utilizing solid-state 13C-CP MAS NMR, Fourier transform infrared, wide-angle powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface imaging by transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The porosity of the nanomaterials was observed in the surface imaging and verified through conducting N2 gas adsorption techniques. Keeping in mind the tremendous importance of C-C and C-N coupling and cyclization processes, the newly synthesized CuII-TTPOP was employed successfully for a wide range of organic catalytic transformations under mild conditions to afford directly valuable diindolylmethanes and spiro-analogues, phthalimidines, propargyl amines, and their sugar-based chiral compounds with high yields using readily available substrates. The highly stable new heterogeneous catalyst showed outstanding sustainability, robustness, simple separation, and recyclability.