Force-responsive ordered carbonaceous frameworks synthesized from Ni-porphyrin

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry

Background:

• Ordered carbonaceous frameworks (OCFs) are advanced materials with tunable properties.
• Developing novel OCFs with unique mechanical and chemical characteristics is an ongoing research area.
• Atomically dispersed metal species within carbon frameworks offer enhanced catalytic and electronic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize, for the first time, force-responsive ordered carbonaceous frameworks (OCFs).
• To investigate the structural and mechanical properties of these novel OCFs.
• To explore the potential of OCFs with atomically dispersed nickel for force-driven applications.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of OCFs via carbonization of Ni porphyrin monomers with eight polymerizable ethynyl groups.
• Characterization of the OCFs' structure, including micropore development and graphene sheet arrangement.
• Evaluation of the specific surface area and mechanical flexibility of the synthesized OCFs.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized novel force-responsive OCFs.
• Achieved a high specific surface area of 673 m² g⁻¹.
• OCFs exhibit non-stacked graphene sheets, providing mechanical flexibility and enabling force-driven reversible phase transitions.

Conclusions:

• The novel OCFs possess unique structural and mechanical properties, including force responsiveness.
• The presence of atomically dispersed divalent Ni species and developed micropores contributes to their characteristics.
• These materials hold promise for applications requiring mechanical flexibility and force-induced changes.