Yinghua Jin

Highly CO2-Selective Organic Molecular Cages: What Determines the CO2 Selectivity

A series of novel organic cage compounds 1-4 were successfully synthesized from readily available starting materials in one-pot in decent to excellent yields (46-90%) through a dynamic covalent chemistry approach (imine condensation reaction). Covalently cross-linked cage framework 14 was obtained through the cage-to-framework strategy via the Sonogashira coupling of cage 4 with the 1,4-diethynylbenzene linker molecule. Cage compounds 1-4 and framework 14 exhibited exceptional high ideal selectivity (36/1-138/1) in adsorption of CO(2) over N(2) under the standard temperature and pressure (STP, 20 °C, 1 bar). Gas adsorption studies indicate that the high selectivity is provided not only by the amino group density (mol/g), but also by the intrinsic pore size of the cage structure (distance between the top and bottom panels), which can be tuned by judiciously choosing building blocks of different size. The systematic studies on the structure-property relationship of this novel class of organic cages are reported herein for the first time; they provide critical knowledge on the rational design principle of these cage-based porous materials that have shown great potential in gas separation and carbon capture applications.

Dynamic Covalent Chemistry Approaches Toward Macrocycles, Molecular Cages, and Polymers

The current research in the field of dynamic covalent chemistry includes the study of dynamic covalent reactions, catalysts, and their applications. Unlike noncovalent interactions utilized in supramolecular chemistry, the formation/breakage of covalent bonding has slower kinetics and usually requires the aid of a catalyst. Catalytic systems that enable efficient thermodynamic equilibrium are thus essential. In this Account, we describe the development of efficient catalysts for alkyne metathesis, and discuss the application of dynamic covalent reactions (mainly imine, olefin, and alkyne metathesis) in the development of organic functional materials. Alkyne metathesis is an emerging dynamic covalent reaction that offers robust and linear acetylene linkages. By introducing a podand motif into the catalyst ligand design, we have developed a series of highly active and robust alkyne metathesis catalysts, which, for the first time, enabled the one-step covalent assembly of ethynylene-linked functional molecular cages. Imine chemistry and olefin metathesis are among the most well-established reversible reactions, and have also been our main synthetic tools. Various shape-persistent macrocycles and covalent organic polyhedrons have been efficiently constructed in one-step through dynamic imine chemistry and olefin metathesis. The geometrical features and solubilizing groups of the building blocks as well as the reaction kinetics have significant effect on the outcome of a covalent assembly process. More recently, we explored the orthogonality of imine and olefin metatheses, and successfully synthesized heterosequenced macrocycles and molecular cages through one-pot orthogonal dynamic covalent chemistry. In addition to discrete molecular architectures, functional polymeric materials can also be accessed through dynamic covalent reactions. Defect-free solution-processable conjugated polyaryleneethynylenes and polydiacetylenes have been prepared through alkyne metathesis polymerization. We prepared imine- or ethynylene-linked porous polymer networks, which exhibit permanent porosity with high specific surface areas. Our most recent contribution is the discovery of a recyclable polyimine material whose self-healing can be activated simply by heating or water treatment. The facile access to complex functional organic molecules through dynamic covalent chemistry has allowed us to explore their exciting applications in gas adsorption/separation, host-guest chemistry, and nanocomposite fabrication. It is clear that there are significant opportunities for improved dynamic covalent systems and their more widespread applications in materials science.

Heat- or water-driven malleability in a highly recyclable covalent network polymer.

DOI: 10.1002/adma.201400317 as dynamers by Lehn, [ 25,26 ] are stimuli-responsive polymers, most notably exhibiting macroscopic responses to changes in pH. [ 27,28 ] Several imine-containing polymers have been demonstrated, including pH-responsive hydrogels [ 20 ] and a working organic light-emitting diode (OLED). [ 23 ] However, the potential of polyimines as malleable, mechanically resilient polymeric materials, as well as their processability, have remained largely unexplored. We envision that imine-linked polymers can take malleability in covalent network polymers to the next level of simplicity, affordability and practicality. Herein, we present the fi rst catalyst-free malleable polyimine which fundamentally behaves like a classic thermoset at ambient conditions yet can be reprocessed by application of either heat or water. This means that green, room temperature processing conditions are accessible for this important class of functional polymers. A crosslinked polyimine network was prepared from commercially available monomers: terephthaldehyde, diethylene triamine, and triethylene tetramine ( Figure 1 a). A polyimine fi lm was obtained by simply mixing the three above components in a 3:0.9:1.4 stoichiometry in the absence of any catalyst in a mixture of organic solvents (1:1:8, v/v/v, CH 2 Cl 2 /EtOAc/EtOH), then allowing the volatiles to evaporate slowly. Alternatively, the polymer can be obtained as a powder by using ethyl acetate as the only solvent. The polymerization reaction was confi rmed by infrared spectroscopy, which revealed that aldehyde end groups were consumed while imine linkages were formed (Figure S2, Supporting Information). The resulting translucent polymer is hard and glassy at room temperature ( T g is 56 °C) (Figure S1, Supporting Information) and has a modulus of near 1 GPa with stress at break of 40 MPa (Figure S3, Supporting Information). The time and temperature dependent relaxation modulus of the polyimine fi lm was tested to characterize the heat-induced malleability. Figure 1 b depicts the results of a series of relaxation tests over a wide range of temperatures (50–127.5 °C) on a double logarithmic plot. Specifi cally, at 80 °C, the bond exchange reaction is initiated and the normalized relaxation modulus is decreased from 1 to 0.11 within 30 min, indicating an 89% release of the internal stress within the thermoset polymer. By shifting each relaxation curve horizontally with respect to a reference temperature at 80 °C, a master relaxation curve was constructed (Figure 1 c), which indicates the stress relaxation of the polyimine follows the classic time-temperature superposition (TTSP) behavior. The plot of time-temperature shift factors as a function of temperature (Figure 1 d) shows that the polyimine’s stress-relaxation behavior exhibits Arrheniuslike temperature dependence. Using the extrapolation, we calculated that while it takes 30 min for the stress to be relaxed by ca. 90% at 80 °C, the same process would take ca. 480 days at room temperature. The polyimine is thus the fi rst reported Covalent network polymers, which offer robust mechanical properties, generally lack the ability to be recycled. [ 1 ] There has been a great deal of research effort to incorporate reversible crosslinks into network polymers in order to obtain mechanically tough materials with self-healing properties. [ 2–13 ] Many have employed non-covalent crosslinks to achieve this goal. Ionic and hydrogen bonds are readily reversible and have been known to achieve effi cient self-healing performances. [ 14–17 ]

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Coated by Layer-by-Layer Self-assembly Using Cucurbit[7]uril for in Vitro and in Vivo Anticancer Drug Release.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are promising solid supports for controlled anticancer drug delivery. Herein, we report biocompatible layer-by-layer (LbL) coated MSNs (LbL-MSNs) that are designed and crafted to release encapsulated anticancer drugs, e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), by changing the pH or by adding competitive agents. The LbL coating process comprises bis-aminated poly(glycerol methacrylate)s (BA-PGOHMAs) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), where CB[7] serves as a molecular bridge holding two different bis-aminated polymeric layers together by means of host–guest interactions. This integrated nanosystem is tuned to respond under specific acidic conditions or by adding adamantaneamine hydrochloride (AH), attributed to the competitive binding of hydronium ions or AH to CB[7] with BA-PGOHMAs. These LbL-MSN hybrids possess excellent biostability, negligible premature drug leakage at pH 7.4, and exceptional stimuli-responsive drug release performance. The pore sizes of the MSNs and bis-aminated compounds (different carbon numbers) of BA-PGOHMAs have been optimized to provide effective integrated nanosystems for the loading and release of DOX. Significantly, the operating pH for the controlled release of DOX matches the acidifying endosomal compartments of HeLa cancer cells, suggesting that these hybrid nanosystems are good candidates for autonomous anticancer drug nanocarriers actuated by intracellular pH changes without any invasive external stimuli. The successful cellular uptake and release of cargo, e.g., propidium iodide (PI), in human breast cancer cell line MDA-231 from PI-loaded LbL-MSNs have been confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), while the cytotoxicities of DOX-loaded LbL-MSNs have been quantified by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) viability assay against HeLa cell lines and fibroblast L929 cell lines. The uptake of DOX-loaded LbL-MSNs by macrophages can be efficiently reduced by adding biocompatible hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) or CB[7] without destroying the capping. In vivo tumor-growth inhibition experiments with BALB/c nude mice demonstrated a highly efficient tumor-growth inhibition rate of DOX-loaded LbL-MSNs, suggesting that the novel type of LbL-MSN materials hold great potentials in anticancer drug delivery.

Ionic Covalent Organic Frameworks with Spiroborate Linkage

A novel type of ionic covalent organic framework (ICOF), which contains sp(3)  hybridized boron anionic centers and tunable countercations, was constructed by formation of spiroborate linkages. These ICOFs exhibit high BET surface areas up to 1259 m(2)  g(-1) and adsorb a significant amount of H2 (up to 3.11 wt %, 77 K, 1 bar) and CH4 (up to 4.62 wt %, 273 K, 1 bar). Importantly, the materials show good thermal stabilities and excellent resistance to hydrolysis, remaining nearly intact when immersed in water or basic solution for two days. The presence of permanently immobilized ion centers in ICOFs enables the transportation of lithium ions with room-temperature lithium-ion conductivity of 3.05×10(-5)  S cm(-1) and an average Li(+) transference number value of 0.80±0.02. Our approach thus provides a convenient route to highly stable COFs with ionic linkages, which can potentially serve as absorbents for alternative energy sources such as H2, CH4, and also as solid lithium electrolytes/separators for the next-generation lithium batteries.

Template Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles with an Organic Molecular Cage

We report a novel strategy for the controlled synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with narrow size distribution (1.9 ± 0.4 nm) through NP nucleation and growth inside the cavity of a well-defined three-dimensional, shape-persistent organic molecular cage. Our results show that both a well-defined cage structure and pendant thioether groups pointing inside the cavity are essential for the AuNP synthesis.

Synthesis of a Two‐Dimensional Covalent Organic Monolayer through Dynamic Imine Chemistry at the Air/Water Interface

A two-dimensional covalent organic monolayer was synthesized from simple aromatic triamine and dialdehyde building blocks by dynamic imine chemistry at the air/water interface (Langmuir-Blodgett method). The obtained monolayer was characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy, which unambiguously confirmed the formation of a large (millimeter range), unimolecularly thin aromatic polyimine sheet. The imine-linked chemical structure of the obtained monolayer was characterized by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and the peak assignment was supported by spectra simulated by density functional theory. Given the modular nature and broad substrate scope of imine formation, the work reported herein opens up many new possibilities for the synthesis of customizable 2D polymers and systematic studies of their structure-property relationships.

Desymmetrized Vertex Design for the Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks with Periodically Heterogeneous Pore Structures

Two novel porous 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with periodically heterogeneous pore structures were successfully synthesized through desymmetrized vertex design strategy. Condensation of C(2v) symmetric 5-(4-formylphenyl)isophthalaldehyde or 5-((4-formylphenyl)ethylene)isophthalaldehyde with linear hydrazine linker under the solvothermal or microwave heating conditions yields crystalline 2D COFs, HP-COF-1 and HP-COF-2, with high specific surface areas and dual pore structures. PXRD patterns and computer modeling study, together with pore size distribution analysis confirm that each of the resulting COFs exhibits two distinctively different hexagonal pores. The structures were characterized by FT-IR, solid state (13)C NMR, gas adsorption, SEM, TEM, and theoretical simulations. Such rational design and synthetic strategy provide new possibilities for preparing highly ordered porous polymers with heterogeneous pore structures.

Repairable Woven Carbon Fiber Composites with Full Recyclability Enabled by Malleable Polyimine Networks

Carbon-fiber reinforced composites are prepared using catalyst-free malleable polyimine networks as binders. An energy neutral closed-loop recycling process has been developed, enabling recovery of 100% of the imine components and carbon fibers in their original form. Polyimine films made using >21% recycled content exhibit no loss of mechanical performance, therefore indicating all of the thermoset composite material can be recycled and reused for the same purpose.

A Tetrameric Cage with D2h Symmetry through Alkyne Metathesis

Shape-persistent covalent organic polyhedrons (COPs) with ethynylene linkers are usually prepared through kinetically controlled cross-coupling reactions. The high-yielding synthesis of ethynylene-linked rigid tetrameric cages via one-step alkyne metathesis from readily accessible triyne precursors is presented. The tetrameric cage contains two macrocyclic panels and exhibits D2h symmetry. The assembly of such a COP is a thermodynamically controlled process, which involves the initial formation of macrocycles as key intermediates followed by the connection of two macrocycles with ethynylene linkages. With a large internal cavity, the cage exhibits a high binding selectivity toward C70 (K = 3.9×10(3) L mol(-1)) over C60 (no noticeable binding).