Hypercrosslinked Polymer Gels as a Synthetic Hybridization Platform for Designing Versatile Molecular Separators.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Hypercrosslinked polymers (HCPs) are amorphous, microporous 3D networks with high surface area and functionalization potential.
• HCPs typically lack processability due to network rigidity, limiting their applications.
• Improving the solution processability of HCPs is a significant challenge in materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a strategy for synthesizing processable hypercrosslinked polymer gels.
• To investigate the hierarchical porosity and mechanical properties of the synthesized HCP gels.
• To explore the potential of these HCP gels as a platform for molecular-level hybridization and separation applications.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of HCP gels via thermally induced polymerization of a tetrahedral monomer.
• Characterization of concentration-dependent hierarchical porosities and mechanical stiffness.
• Molecular-level hybridization with a two-dimensional polymer during gel formation.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of HCP gels with tunable hierarchical porosities and mechanical stiffness.
• Development of functional hybrid gels and corresponding aerogels with enhanced properties.
• Demonstrated high efficiency (97.9-98.6%) in separating water contaminants (methylene blue, KMnO4) using column- and membrane-based systems.

Conclusions:

• The developed method yields processable HCP gels and hybrid materials with hierarchical porosity.
• These materials show significant potential for application in molecular separation systems.
• The findings open new avenues for utilizing HCPs in macroscopic scaffolds requiring tailored porosity.