Decoding the Morphological Diversity in Two Dimensional Crystalline Porous Polymers by Core Planarity Modulation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Crystalline porous polymers (CPPs) are advanced materials with tunable properties.
• Controlling the morphology of CPPs is crucial for their applications.
• Template-free synthesis offers a simplified approach to CPP fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel triazine- and phenyl-core-based CPPs.
• To investigate the influence of linker planarity on CPP morphology.
• To understand the relationship between molecular structure and macroscopic form.

Main Methods:

• Single-step template-free solvothermal synthesis.
• Morphological characterization of synthesized CPPs.
• Time-dependent studies to correlate structure and morphology.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations for interlayer stacking energy.

Main Results:

• Two new chemically stable CPPs, 2,3-DhaTta (ribbon) and 2,3-DhaTab (hollow sphere), were synthesized.
• Morphological diversity was achieved by altering linker planarity.
• A strong correlation was found between building block structure and CPP morphology.
• DFT studies indicated stacking efficiency governs morphological diversity.

Conclusions:

• Linker planarity is a key factor in controlling CPP morphology.
• Interlayer stacking energy plays a critical role in dictating the diverse structures of CPPs.
• This study provides insights into the rational design of CPPs with tailored morphologies.