A high-throughput
sonochemical synthesis and testing strategy was
developed to discover covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for photocatalysis.
In total, 76 conjugated polymers were synthesized, including 60 crystalline
COFs of which 18 were previously unreported. These COFs were then
screened for photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production using water and oxygen. One of these COFs, sonoCOF-F2,
was found to be an excellent photocatalyst for photocatalytic H2O2 production even in the absence of sacrificial
donors. However, after long-term photocatalytic tests (96 h), the
imine sonoCOF-F2 transformed into an amide-linked COF with reduced
crystallinity and loss of electronic conjugation, decreasing the photocatalytic
activity. When benzyl alcohol was introduced to form a two-phase catalytic
system, the photostability of sonoCOF-F2 was greatly enhanced, leading
to stable H2O2 production for at least 1 week.
The invention of inverse vulcanization provides great opportunities for generating functional polymers directly from elemental sulfur, an industrial by‐product. However, unsatisfactory mechanical properties have limited the scope for wider applications of these exciting materials. Here, we report an effective synthesis method that significantly improves mechanical properties of sulfur‐polymers and allows control of performance. A linear pre‐polymer containing hydroxyl functional group was produced, which could be stored at room temperature for long periods of time. This pre‐polymer was then further crosslinked by difunctional isocyanate secondary crosslinker. By adjusting the molar ratio of crosslinking functional groups, the tensile strength was controlled, ranging from 0.14±0.01 MPa to 20.17±2.18 MPa, and strain was varied from 11.85±0.88 % to 51.20±5.75 %. Control of hardness, flexibility, solubility and function of the material were also demonstrated. We were able to produce materials with suitable combination of flexibility and strength, with excellent shape memory function. Combined with the unique dynamic property of S−S bonds, these polymer networks have an attractive, vitrimer‐like ability for being reshaped and recycled, despite their crosslinked structures. This new synthesis method could open the door for wider applications of sustainable sulfur‐polymers.
The polyurethane-vitrimers with the properties of reprocessing, thermally-induced dual-shape memory effect and self-welding would reduce waste and accumulated pollution of crosslinking polymer.
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