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

摘要：本项目旨在发展新的合成概念和方法来发明浸渍有移动阴离子的晶体多孔材料。均匀可调的孔径，加上对电荷和框架功能的控制，使阴离子交换、分离、检测和传导方面的新应用更加有效。大自然讨厌阳离子框架，并提出了各种中和方法来防止它们的形成。该项目使用新颖的概念和策略来对抗这种自然趋势，以主动和先发制人的方式对抗这种自然趋势。作为一所拥有大量学生的本科院校，包括那些来自弱势群体的学生，PI努力利用国家科学基金会的支持，通过建立一个高度刺激和重要的研究项目，通过发展最先进的综合和仪器能力，为不同背景的学生拓宽学习机会，来促进学生的教学和培训。技术摘要：该项目旨在开发新的合成概念和方法，以创造具有正电荷框架的多孔材料，将均匀可调的孔径与可移动的阴离子结合在一起，用于阴离子交换、隔离、分离、传感以及快速阴离子传导等应用。它处理材料设计中的基本问题，如控制负电官能团和中性官能团之间的比例，以及混合价或异质金属体系中金属离子之间的比例。这些问题是控制框架电荷属性及其应用的基础。核心策略包括设计具有阳离子倾向的集群型结构构建块，同时发明先进的方法来主动防止这些单元可能的中和。各种方法用于调整孔径和性质，以提高基于分子和离子的大小、形状和电荷的工艺选择性。该项目整合了多种学生训练活动，包括化学合成、晶体生长、晶体结构分析和性质表征，目的是扩大本科生和研究生对化学研究的参与，并促进材料科学学生群体的多样化。

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.