RUI: Development of A Synthetic Platform for Highly Tunable Cationic Porous Materials

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NON-TECHNICAL Abstract: This project seeks to develop new synthetic concepts and methods to invent crystalline porous materials impregnated with mobile anions. The uniform and tunable pore size, together with the control over the charge and functionality of the framework combine to enable new and more efficient applications in anion exchange, separation, detection, and conduction. Nature abhors cationic frameworks and comes out with various neutralization ways to prevent their formation. This project combats this nature's tendency using novel concepts and strategies to counter such natural tendency proactively and preemptively. Being at an undergraduate institution with a large population of students including those from underrepresented groups, the PI strives to utilize the NSF support to promote teaching and training of students by establishing a highly stimulating and important research project and by developing the state-of-the-art synthetic and instrumental capability to broaden learning opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds.TECHNICAL Abstract: The project seeks to develop new synthetic concepts and methods to create porous materials with the positively charged framework integrating uniform and tunable pore size with mobile anions for applications such as anion exchange, sequestration, separation, sensing, as well as fast anion conduction. It deals with fundamental issues in materials design such as the control of ratio between negative and neutral functional groups and the ratio between metal ions in mix-valence or heterometallic systems. Such issues are fundamental to the control of the framework charge property and their applications. The core strategy involves designing cluster-type structural building blocks with propensity for being cationic and simultaneously inventing advanced methods to proactively prevent possible neutralization of such units. Various methods are used to tune the pore size and properties to enhance process selectivity based on size, shape, and charge of molecules and ions. The project integrates a variety of student-training activities ranging from chemical synthesis, crystal growth, to crystal structure analysis and property characterizations with the goal to broaden the participation of undergraduate and graduate students in chemical research and to promote a diverse student population in materials sciences.