Search

The rapid preparation of highly crystalline covalent organic framework membranes is challenging. Here, the authors show a reverse-phase microemulsion interfacial polymerization to rapidly prepare large-area covalent organic framework membranes in tens of seconds applied to protein desalination.

A radical-mediated dynamic remedial strategy based on bio-inspired disulfide metathesis has been developed to construct metal–organic frameworks with crystalline dynamicity. The disulfide exchange-based crystal dynamics of the metal–organic frameworks allows for sustained gas separation.

Natural salt lake brines contain various ions, making the selective extraction of KCl challenging. Here, the authors combine 3D covalent organic framework membranes with redox-mediated salinity gradient harvesting to enable the low-energy separation of anions and cations.

The inherent instabilities of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in the presence of water or organic compounds have limited their real-world applicability. Here, Ma and co-workers present a coating strategy to fabricate MOFs with amphiphobic surfaces, simultaneously protecting them from moisture and organic vapours.

Large-scale industrial applications of electrodeposition in mining useful metal species from water urges the development of high-performance electrode materials. Here, the authors infiltrate conductive polymers into the pore channels of adsorbents to afford the extraction of metals via electrodeposition.

Decontamination of mercury pollution from fresh water is a serious environmental issue. Here, the authors report a porous organic polymer-based nano-trap, functionalized with mercury chelating groups, capable of efficient and rapid mercury removal from aqueous media.

Radioiodine capture from nuclear fuel waste and contaminated water sources is of environmental importance but technically challenging. Here, the authors report covalent organic frameworks with antiparallel eclipsed stacked structures with dynamic adsorption performance for iodine pollutants under various conditions.

How the Asian monsoon, earth surface processes and human development interact is not well known. Here, a new record of dust storm intensity shows a relationship between the stability of dynasties and dust storm activity for the last ~2200 years, which argues for a strong human control of dust storms in East Asia over this time.

Immobilization of biomolecules into porous materials could lead to enhanced performance in terms of stability and easier separation for their reuse. Here authors gain insights into the spatial arrangement of green fluorescent protein entrapped in a mesoporous MOF by situ small-angle neutron scattering.

Achieving the reduction of U(VI) to solid U(IV) using electrochemical methods under ambient conditions is significant for uranium recovery but challenging. Here, the authors developed a secondary metal ion-induced strategy for electrocatalytic production of U(IV) solids from U(VI) solutions.

Efforts have been devoted to fabricating artificial membranes that can mimic biological functions but the design of a bionic thermometer remains in its infancy. Herein, the authors report a nanofluidic membrane based on an ionic covalent organic framework capable of monitoring temperature variations and expressing it in the form of continuous potential differences.

The large-scale production of crystalline porous materials remains a challenge. Here the authors report a general approach of high-pressure homogenization that can realize large-scale synthesis of crystalline porous materials under benign conditions.

Supramolecular peptide complexes with interlocking heterochiral linkers showcase a route for self-assembled nanostructures with exceptional mechanical stability.

The performance of adsorbents for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) removal often suffers from long equilibrium times, weak binding affinities and poor stability. Here the authors report a highly efficient PFOA adsorbents by functionalizing porous organic polymers with electrostatic and hydrophobic binding sites.

The separation of xylene isomers remains a great challenge in industry due to their similar molecular structure and physical properties. Here the authors demonstrate adaptively molecular discrimination of xylene isomers by employing a NbOF₅²⁻-pillared metal–organic framework with rotational anionic sites.

Membrane reactors are efficient alternatives to traditional bath process, yet their limited diversity challenges their applicability to various reaction requirements. Here, the authors report covalent organic framework membrane reactors applied to the Knoevenagel condensation with enhanced performance as compared to homogeneous catalysts.

Developing eco-friendly synthetic routes for fabricating robust covalent organic frameworks (COFs) remains a challenge. Herein, the authors created a green strategy to fabricate a highly crystalline olefin-linked COF which exhibited great promise application in proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

Artificial enzymes capable of catalysing significant transformations are highly desired but usually suffer from limitations in structural design and poor efficiency. Now, a monolayered metal–organic framework is reported as an editable biomimetic platform to achieve exceptional artificial photosynthesis performance.

Hybrid calcium titanyl oxalate (HCTO) composite containing anisotropic spindly microparticles and irregular nanoparticles have been synthesized via a facile precipitation route under mild conditions for the first time. The hybrid particles act synergistically to enhance electrorheological (ER) activity and reduce field-off viscosity, thereby resulting in ER fluids with ultrahigh ER efficiency. The results presented thus provide a new strategy for improving the performance of ER fluids.

Uranium extraction is important for both uranium recovery and nuclear waste management. Here, inspired by the high sensitivity of proteins towards specific metal ions, Ma and colleagues demonstrate that introducing secondary coordination spheres into amidoxime-functionalized porous polymers can enhance their uranyl chelating abilities.

Historically, warm periods enhanced the Asian summer monsoon—increased rainfall brought additional nutrients to freshwater ecosystems and increased production. However, anthropogenic aerosols have weakened the monsoon and altered lake ecosystems.

The development of ionic membranes with a high charge population is critical for realizing efficient thermo-osmotic energy conversion. Here, the authors demonstrated that the thermo-osmotic energy conversion efficiency can be improved by increasing the membrane charge density but this enhancement only occurs within a narrow window.

Membranes with high permselectivity in high salinity conditions are desirable for efficient energy conversion. Here, the authors address the challenge by modifying the distribution of electrostatic potentials in the linkages of covalent organic framework membranes and apply the material to the conversion of low-grade waste heat into electrical energy.

A series of porous crystalline materials known as metal–organic materials are prepared, and a full sorption study shows that controlled pore size (rather than large surface area) coupled with appropriate chemistry lead to materials exhibiting fast and highly selective CO₂ sorption.

Tuning the environment of catalytic active sites may improve the selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts. Here, the authors modify the outer-sphere environment of active sites in hydroformylation catalysts by encapsulating the active sites in nanovessels formed by ion pair-directed supramolecular assembly.

Solvents play important roles in chemical transformations, but isolating products from solvents is cumbersome and energy-consuming. Here, the authors develop promising alternatives by anchoring the solvent moieties onto porous materials for creating solvation environments in heterogeneous catalysts for efficient biomass conversion.

The elimination of specific contaminants from high concentrations of competitors poses a significant challenge. Here the authors find that modifying the local environment of the direct contact site alters the interaction of a pyridinium-based anion nanotrap with pertechnetate.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent an emerging class of organic photocatalysts but it remains challenging to gain insight into photocatalytic active sites and reaction mechanisms. Herein, the authors construct a family of isoreticular crystalline hydrazide-based COF photocatalysts, with the optoelectronic properties and local pore characteristics of the COFs modulated using different linkers

Development of simple uranyl recognition motifs possessing siderophore-like binding strength and selectivity presents a challenge. Here the authors show a comprehensive theoretical and experimental study on uranyl binding with a polymeric adsorbent material decorated with a non-toxic siderophore inspired small molecule chelator.

Synergistic catalysis occurring in an enzyme pocket shows enhanced performance through supramolecular recognition and flexibility. Here the authors design an enzyme-mimic strategy to develop a Co(II) metal-metalloporphyrin gel with excellent synergistically catalytic performance and chemo/stereo selectivity.