As countries pledge their commitment to a net-zero future, much of the previously forgotten climate change research were revitalized by efforts from both governmental and private sectors. In particular, the utilization of lignocellulosic materials saw a special spotlight in research interest for its abundance and its carbon removal capability during photosynthesis. The initial effort in mimicking enzymatic active sites of β-glucosidase will be explored. The crystalline covalent organic frameworks (COFs) allowed for the introduction of a variety of noncovalent interactions, which enhanced the adsorption and the catalytic activity against cellobiose and its glycosidic bonds. The physical processes associated with this reaction, such as the kinetics, equilibrium, and activation energies, will be closely examined and compared with existing standard materials and comparable advanced catalysts. In addition, several variants of COFs were synthesized to explore the effect of various noncovalent interactions with cellobiose. A radical-bearing COF was synthesized and characterized. The stability of this radical was examined by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and its oxidative capability tested with model lignin and alcoholic compounds. The reaction products are monitored and identified using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). An oxidative coupling of phenol was explored, and its initial results are presented in chapter 5.

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[pt] No contexto da redução da concentração de CO2 na atmosfera e utilizar o mesmo na síntese de produtos de interesse, buscou-se sintetizar COFs com propriedades biomiméticas da enzima anidrase carbônica capaz de converter CO2. O chamado Tppa-NO2-COF foi planejado a partir dos blocos de construção triformilfluoroglucinol e 2-nitro 1,4-fenilenodiamina (comercialmente disponível). O triformilfluoroglucinol foi previamente sintetizado pela reação de Duff, entretanto outras metodologias alternativas foram testadas de forma a melhorar as condições reacionais e o custo atrelado ao processo. Em decorrência da não reprodutibilidade das metodologias sintéticas do Tppa-NO2-COF reportadas na literatura, foi necessário um processo de otimização (variando tipo e quantidade de solvente, concentração do ácido, condição reacional, entre outros). A influência do grupamento nitro no Tppa-NO2 foi igualmente avaliada, através da síntese do material análogo sem o nitro, o chamado Tppa-1-COF, o qual foi obtido com área de 434 m2/g, condizente com o dado reportado na literatura. Outra metodologia abordada para a síntese desses materiais foi a sonificação (sonochemistry) que demonstrou ser uma excelente alternativa para a síntese dos materiais de maneira eficaz e rápida. Entretanto, o material foi obtido com cristalinidade e área específica baixas e muito variáveis (de 40 a 628 m2/g), o que, por definição não pode ser chamado de COF, sendo então tratado como Covalent Organic Network (CON). Apesar da adversidade, seguiu-se com as modificações pós-sintéticas no Tppa-NO2-CON, realizando a redução do grupamento nitro e consequente reação do grupo amina para formar linkers que permitissem a atividade biomimética à enzima via ligação peptídica ou via triazol, capazes de se coordenar ao íon zinco. Otimizações ainda se fazem necessárias para a obtenção do COF, bem como estudos mais aprofundados nas modificações pós sintéticas e de adsorção de CO2, aplicação na conversão de CO2 a bicarbonato e outros produtos de interesse para a síntese orgânica. / [en] In the context of reducing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and using it in the synthesis of products of interest, we sought to synthesize COFs with biomimetic properties of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme capable of converting CO2. The so-called Tppa-NO2-COF was designed from the building blocks triformylfluoroglucinol and 2-nitro 1,4-phenylenediamine (commercially available). Triformylfluoroglucinol was previously synthesized by the Duff reaction, however other alternative methodologies were tested in order to improve the reaction conditions and the cost linked to the process. Due to the non-reproducibility of synthetic methodologies of Tppa-NO2-COF reported in the literature, an optimization process (varying type and amount of solvent, acid concentration, reaction condition, among others) was necessary. The influence of the nitro group on Tppa-NO2 was also evaluated, through the synthesis of an analogous material without nitro, the so-called Tppa-1-COF, which was published with an area of 434 m2/g, consistent with what is reported in the literature. Another approach to synthetic materials for sonification (sonochemistry) includes being an excellent alternative for an efficient and rapid synthesis of materials. However, the material was found with low and highly variable crystallinity and specific area (from 40 to 628 m2/g), which, by definition, cannot be called COF, being treated as Covalent Organic Network (CON). Despite the adversity, post-synthetic modifications in the Tppa-NO2-CON followed, performing the reduction of the nitro group and consequent reaction of the amine group to form ligands that would allow a biomimetic activity to the enzyme via peptide bond or via triazole, from coordinate with the zinc ion. Optimizations are still necessary to obtain the COF, as well as in-depth studies on post-synthetic modifications and CO2 adsorption, application in the conversion of CO2 to bicarbonate and other products of interest to organic synthetic.

[pt] Materiais bidimensionais apresentam possibilidades de funcionalização que os tornam versáteis para diversas aplicações, tais como em dispositivos eletrônicos. A presença de poros nesses materiais pode trazer novas funções, como adsorção de gases, liberação controlada de fármacos e catálise. Os covalent organic frameworks (COFs) são uma nova classe de materiais orgânicos porosos cristalinos que têm recebido destaque em química reticular. O objetivo dessa dissertação é apresentar a síntese e caracterização de quatro novos COFs baseados em carbazóis, que constitui uma classe de compostos utilizada na obtenção de polímeros condutores. O bloco de montagem principal utilizado foi o 3,6-diamino-9H-carbazol e as fontes de aldeído foram triformilfloroglucinol, triformilfenol, 1,3,5-tri(4-formilfenil)benzeno e triformilbenzeno para a síntese do RIO2, RIO3, RIO5 e RIO6, respectivamente. RIO2 e RIO3 apresentaram-se sob a forma ceto enamina e imina, respectivamente, além de pouca cristalinidade e baixa área específica. Através de cálculos baseados na Teoria do Funcional da Densidade (DFT), foi verificado que esses COFs apresentam suas folhas deslocadas e rotacionadas devido às interações eletrostáticas e para minimizar os momentos de dipolo das ligações N-H dos carbazóis. RIO5 e RIO6 também se apresentaram pouco cristalinos e com áreas específicas baixas. Apesar desses resultados, esses materiais ainda podem ser aplicados em eletrônica orgânica por apresentarem estrutura química compatível com tal aplicação. / [en] Two-dimensional materials have functionalization possibilities that make them versatile for various applications such as in electronic devices. The presence of pores in these materials can give new features to them, such as gas adsorption, drug delivery and catalysis. The covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a new class of crystalline porous organic materials that have been prominent in reticular chemistry. The purpose of this work is to present the synthesis and characterization of four new COFs based on carbazoles, which are a class of compounds used to obtain conductive polymers. The main building block used was 3,6-diamine-9H-carbazole with the aldehyde sources were triformylphloroglucinol, triformylphenol, 1,3,5-tri(4 formylphenyl)benzene and triformylbenzene to obtain RIO2, RIO3, RIO5 and RIO6, respectively. RIO2 and RIO3 are in keto-enamine and imine form, respectively, as well as have low crystallinity and low specific area. Calculus based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) found that these COFs present their sheets displaced and rotated due to electrostatic interactions and to minimize the dipole moments of the N-H bonds of carbazoles. In an attempt to avoid the absence of pores, RIO5 and RIO6 materials were synthesized, however these COFs also performed poorly crystalline and with low specific areas. Despite these results, these materials can also be applied in organic electronics by presenting chemical structure compatible with such application.

The growing renewable energy consumption has stimulated the rapid development of diverse energy storage systems (ESSs) in our electronic society. As a successful representative, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play a vital role in meeting today's energy storage demand. However, LIBs are plagued by intrinsic unsafety and detrimental environmental contamination. In this respect, rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) and supercapacitors (SCs) as potential alternatives have attracted considerable attention due to their characteristics such as innate safety, environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness, competitive gravimetric energy density, and loose fabrication process. Inspired by these merits, massive efforts have been devoted to designing and exploring high-performance aqueous Zn-based energy storage devices. The key for advanced Zn-based energy storage devices is to exploit high-performance cathode materials. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of organic polymer with periodic skeletons showing attractive properties in structural tunability, well-defined porosity, functional versatility, and high chemical stability. The distinguishing features of COFs make them promising electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage applications. However, the electrochemical storage capability and charge storage mechanism of COF materials have been rarely investigated, and their potential applications have not been evaluated yet so far. In this thesis, COFs are proposed as cathode materials for rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion energy storage. Initially, a new phenanthroline COF (PA-COF) material was synthesized and used as an electrode for Zn-ion supercapatteries (ZISs) for the first time. The as-synthesized PA-COF shows abundant nucleophilic sites and suitable pore structure, demonstrating the efficient storage capability of Zn2+ and H+. Further, hexaazatriphenylene-based COF (HA-COF) material with and without precisely grafted quinone functional groups has been proposed to understand structure-activity relationships. In this chapter, the influence of quinone groups on the electrochemical performance of HA-COF has been systematically studied, disclosing an enhancement coordination capability of Zn ions against protons in the quinone-functionalized HA-COF. Lastly, we synthesized a radical benzobisthiazole COF (BBT-COF) and deeply investigated the electrochemical performance. As expected, this COF electrode shows an ultrastable cycling performance and demonstrates a radical reaction pathway.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a novel class of crystalline materials with regular porosity, high specific surface area, and various linkage chemistries. Conventional chemical syntheses of these materials lead to the formation of bulk powders characterized as polycrystalline aggregates. Synthesizing these materials as colloidal systems is an effective means to prevent aggregation and achieve larger single-crystalline domain sizes. In this thesis, I describe the effect of temperature and transimination catalyst strength on COF particle nucleation and particle growth. Morphology and crystallinity of the COF-300 particles were confirmed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The onset of colloidal light scattering, or the Tyndall Effect, was measured using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Reaction temperature affects both the reaction rate and the solubility of the monomeric and oligomeric species. The higher solubility at higher temperatures is hypothesized to delay particle nucleation, or the onset of colloidal light scattering. DLS measurements confirmed these results. However, measurement of particle size using DLS and SEM showed little association between the particle size and reaction temperature. Stronger acids are similarly hypothesized to accelerate the chemical reaction, leading to a shorter induction delay and smaller particles. DLS measurements confirmed this hypothesis on the effect of acid catalyst on the induction delay; stronger acids led to a v shorter induction delay. However, preliminary SEM measurements suggest that stronger acid catalysts create larger COF-300 particles.

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) with covalently bonded repeat units and crystalline, porous framework backbones have attracted immense attention since the first 2D COFs were reported by Yaghi’s group in 2005. The extended single-layer structures of 2D COFs are also generally considered to be the 2D polymers. The precise incorporation of molecular building blocks into ordered frameworks enables the synthesis of novel organic materials with designable and predictable properties for specific applications, such as in optoelectronics, energy storage, and conversion. In particular, the 2D π-conjugated COFs (2D-c-COFs) represent a unique class of 2D conjugated polymers that have 2D molecular-periodic structures with extended in-plane π-conjugations. In the 2D-c-COFs, the conjugated skeletons and π–π stacking interactions can provide the pathways for electron transport, while the porous channel can enable the loading of active sites for catalysis and sensing. Thus far, the synthesis of 2D-c-COFs has been mostly limited to Schiff base chemistry based on the condensation reaction between amine and aldehyde/ketone monomers because the construction of 2D COFs as thermodynamically controlled products generally requires a highly reversible reaction for error-correction processes. However, the high reversibility of imine linkages would conversely endow moderate π-electron delocalization due to the polarized carbon–nitrogen bonds and poor stability against strong acids/bases. To achieve robust and highly conjugated 2D-c-COFs, a series of synthesis strategies have been developed, including a one-step reversible reaction with a bond-forming–bond braking–bond reforming function, a quasi-reversible reaction combing reversible and irreversible processes, and postmodifications converting labile bonds to a robust linkage. Among all of the reported 2D-c-COFs, vinylene-linked (also sp2-carbon-linked) 2D covalent organic frameworks (V-2D-COFs) with high in-plane π-conjugation have attracted increasing interest after we reported the first V-2D-COFs via a Knoevenagel polycondensation in 2016. Although C═C bonds have low reversibility, making the synthesis of V-2D-COFs quite challenging, there have been around 40 V-2D-COFs reported over the past 5 years, which demonstrated the merits of V-2D-COFs combining with unique optoelectronic, redox, and magnetic properties. In this Account, we will summarize the development of V-2D-COFs, covering the important aspects of synthesis methods, design strategies, unique physical properties, and functions. First, the solvothermal synthesis of V-2D-COFs using different reaction methodologies and design principles will be presented, including Knoevenagel polycondensation, other aldol-type polycondensations, and Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) polycondensation. Second, we will discuss the optoelectronic and magnetic properties of V-2D-COFs. Finally, the promising applications of V-2D-COF in the fields of sensing, photocatalysis, energy storage, and conversion will be demonstrated, which benefit from their robust vinylene-linked skeleton, full in-plane π-conjugation, and tailorable structures. We anticipate that this Account will provide an intensive understanding of the synthesis of V-2D-COFs and inspire the further development of this emerging class of conjugated organic crystalline materials with unique physicochemical properties and applications across different areas.

Porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) enable the realisation of bespoke functional materials with molecular precision. Past research has focused on generating rigid frameworks where structural and optoelectronic properties are static. We have developed dynamic two-dimensional COFs that can open and close their pores upon uptake or removal of guests while fully retaining their crystalline long-range order. Constructing dynamic, yet crystalline and robust frameworks requires a well-controlled degree of flexibility. We have achieved this through a “wine rack” design where rigid π-stacked columns of perylene diimides (PDIs) are interconnected by non-stacked, flexible bridges. The resulting COFs show stepwise phase transformations between their respective contracted pore and open pore conformations with up to 40% increase in unit cell volume. Moreover, the variable geometry of dynamic COFs provides a handle for introducing stimuli-responsive optoelectronic properties. We illustrate this by demonstrating switchable optical absorption and emission characteristics, which approximate “null-aggregates” with monomer-like behaviour in the contracted COFs. Our findings reveal a general design strategy for dynamic 2D COFs and could offer a new route for realising stimuli-responsive optical, electronic, and spintronic materials.

Two-dimensional conjugated covalent organic frameworks (2D c-COFs) are emerging as a unique class of semiconducting 2D conjugated polymers for (opto)electronics and energy storage. Doping is one of the common, reliable strategies to control the charge carrier transport properties, but the precise mechanism underlying COF doping has remained largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate molecular iodine doping of a metal–phthalocyanine-based pyrazine-linked 2D c-COF. The resultant 2D c-COF ZnPc-pz-I2 maintains its structural integrity and displays enhanced conductivity by 3 orders of magnitude, which is the result of elevated carrier concentrations. Remarkably, Hall effect measurements reveal enhanced carrier mobility reaching ∼22 cm2 V–1 s–1 for ZnPc-pz-I2, which represents a record value for 2D c-COFs in both the direct-current and alternating-current limits. This unique transport phenomenon with largely increased mobility upon doping can be traced to increased scattering time for free charge carriers, indicating that scattering mechanisms limiting the mobility are mitigated by doping. Our work provides a guideline on how to assess doping effects in COFs and highlights the potential of 2D c-COFs to display high conductivities and mobilities toward novel (opto)electronic devices.

π-Conjugated two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are emerging as a novel class of electro-active materials for (opto-)electronic and chemiresistive sensing applications. However, understanding the intricate interplay between chemistry, structure and conductivity in π-conjugated 2D COFs remains elusive. Here, we report a detailed charac-terization for the electronic properties of two novel samples consisting of Zn- and Cu-phthalocyanine-based pyrazine-linked 2D COFs. These 2D COFs are synthesized by condensation of metal-phthalocyanine (M=Zn and Cu) and pyrene derivatives. The obtained polycrystalline-layered COFs are p-type semiconductors both with a band gap of ~1.2 eV. Mobilities up to ~5 cm²/Vs are resolved in the dc limit, which represent a lower threshold induced by charge carrier localization at crystalline grain boundaries. Hall Effect measurements (dc limit) and terahertz (THz) spectroscopy (ac limit) in combination with den-sity functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that varying metal center from Cu to Zn in the phthalocyanine moiety has a negligible effect in the conductivity (~5×10⁻⁷ S/cm), charge carrier density (~10¹² cm⁻³), charge carrier scattering rate (~3×10¹³ s⁻¹), and effective mass (~2.3m₀) of majority carriers (holes). Notably, charge carrier transport is found to be aniso-tropic, with hole mobilities being practically null in-plane and finite out-of-plane for these 2D COFs.