Report Title: Microporous polymer net and frameworks for catalysis and energy applications
Time: October 22, 2023, 13:30 PM
Location: Lecture Hall, 1st Floor, Photonics
Reporter: Prof. Arne Thomas, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Summary of the report:
Microporous Polymer Networks (MPNs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are emerging new classes of functional porous materials, which combine several advantages of organic materials with conventional porous matter, like zeolites, activated charcoals or metal organic frameworks. MPNs and COFs exhibit exceptionally high porosities and surface areas, while their covalent nature ensures sufficient thermal and chemical stability. Furthermore, as solely composed of organic compounds an exquisite control over the chemical nature of the large accessible surface areas as well as their physical properties is possible. These features make MPNs and COFs interesting for emerging applications such as energy storage and conversion but also as precursor for advanced carbon materials for electrochemical devices.Furthermore, MPNs and COFs open new prospects in the field of catalysis, as various functional groups and catalytic active sites can be introduced as maintaining parts of the polymer backbones, which thus can be applied in fields from organocatalysis to photocatalysis. Also recently emerging MPNs and COFs with permanent ionic charges in the organic backbone are of interest for diverse applications, as their properties can be tailored by simple ion exchange.
Reporter Bio:
Prof. Arne Thomas received his Ph.D. degree from Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany in 2003 and has been a professor at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany since 2009. He is currently engaged in the design, synthesis and application of microporous polymers, mainly including the preparation of porous functional materials and their applications in catalysis, and has been published in Nat. Chem. Chem. Soc. Rev., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. and other journals, with more than 290 publications, total citations of more than 42,300, and H-index of 92, and his academic achievements have been widely recognized by international peers.
