Session: General Topics: New Synthesis & Characterization of Polymers:

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of crystalline, porous polymers which are synthesized from light weight elements under dynamic control. These materials have been employed for different applications including gas storage, gas separation, sensing, and energy storage. Among different COF activation methods super critical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) activation provides milder conditions to process COFs without compromising their crystallinity and porosity. To this end, two hydrazone COFs (TFPB-DHz, TFPT-DHz) were synthesized with a hydrazide linker (DHz) without substituents. Synthesized COFs were characterized with FT-IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and computer modeling. Surface area of COFs was determined using N₂ adsorption−desorption experiments. scCO₂ activated COFs were crystalline and porous. This study shows the significance of efficient, fast, mild scCO₂ activation towards porosity and crystallinity of COFs.

Ronald Smaldone

University of Texas, Dallas

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