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Porous organic polymers (POPs) incorporating macrocyclic units have been investigated in recent years in an effort to transfer macrocycles' intrinsic host–guest properties onto the porous networks to achieve complex separations. In this regard, highly interesting building blocks are presented by the family of cyclotetrabenzoin macrocycles with rigid, well-defined, electron-deficient cavities. This macrocycle shows high affinity towards linear guest molecules such as carbon dioxide, thus offering an ideal building block for the synthesis of CO2-philic POPs. Herein, we report the synthesis of a POP through the condensation reaction between cyclotetrabenzil and 1,2,4,5-tetraaminobenzene under ionothermal conditions using the eutectic zinc chloride/sodium chloride/potassium chloride salt mixture at 250 °C. Notably, following the condensation reaction, the macrocycle favors three-dimensional (3D) growth rather than a two-dimensional one while retaining the cavity. The resulting polymer, named 3D-mPOP, showed a highly microporous structure with a BET surface area of 1142 m2 g−1 and a high carbon dioxide affinity with a binding enthalpy of 39 kJ mol−1. Moreover, 3D-mPOP showed very high selectivity for carbon dioxide in carbon dioxide/methane and carbon dioxide/nitrogen mixtures. 

Abstract The recovery and separation of organic solvents is highly important for the chemical industry and environmental protection. In this context, porous organic polymers (POPs) have significant potential owing to the possibility of integrating shape‐persistent macrocyclic units with high guest selectivity. Here, we report the synthesis of a macrocyclic porous organic polymer (np‐POP) and the corresponding model compound by reacting the cyclotetrabenzil naphthalene octaketone macrocycle with 1,2,4,5‐tetraaminobenzene and 1,2‐diaminobenzene, respectively, under solvothermal conditions. Co‐crystallization of the macrocycle and the model compound with various solvent molecules revealed their size‐selective inclusion within the macrocycle. Building on this finding, thenp‐POP with a hierarchical pore structure and a surface area of 579 m² g⁻¹showed solvent uptake strongly correlated with their kinetic diameters. Solvents with kinetic diameters below 0.6 nm – such as acetonitrile and dichloromethane – showed high uptake capacities exceeding 7 mmol g⁻¹. Xylene separation tests revealed a high overall uptake (~34 wt %), witho‐xylene displaying a significantly lower uptake (~10 wt % less than other isomers), demonstrating the possibility of size and shape selective separation of organic solvents. 

Abstract The development of porous materials is of great interest for the capture of CO₂from various emission sources, which is essential to mitigate its detrimental environmental impact. In this direction, porous organic polymers (POPs) have emerged as prime candidates owing to their structural tunability, physiochemical stability and high surface areas. In an effort to transfer an intrinsic property of a cyclotetrabenzoin‐derived macrocycle – its high CO₂affinity – into porous networks, herein we report the synthesis of three‐dimensional (3D) macrocycle‐based POPs through the polycondensation of an octaketone macrocycle with phenazine‐2,3,7,8‐tetraamine hydrochloride. This polycondensation was performed under ionothermal conditions, using a eutectic salt mixture in the temperature range of 200 to 300 °C. The resulting polymers, named 3D‐mmPOPs, showed reaction temperature‐dependent surface areas and gas uptake properties. 3D‐mmPOP‐250 synthesized at 250 °C exhibited a surface area of 752 m² g⁻¹and high microporosity originating from the macrocyclic units, thus resulting in an excellent CO₂binding enthalpy of 40.6 kJ mol⁻¹and CO₂uptake capacity of 3.51 mmol g⁻¹at 273 K, 1.1 bar. 

Abstract As wearable technologies redefine the way people exchange information, receive entertainment, and monitor health, the development of sustainable power sources that capture energy from the user's everyday activities garners increasing interest. Electric fishes, such as the electric eel and the torpedo ray, provide inspiration for such a power source with their ability to generate massive discharges of electricity solely from the metabolic processes within their bodies. Inspired by their example, the device presented in this work harnesses electric power from ion gradients established by capturing the carbon dioxide (CO₂) from human breath. Upon localized exposure to CO₂, this novel adaptation of reverse electrodialysis chemically generates ion gradients from a single initial solution uniformly distributed throughout the device instead of requiring the active circulation of two different external solutions. A thorough analysis of the relationship between electrical output and the concentration of carbon capture agent (monoethanolamine, MEA), the amount of CO₂captured, and the device geometry informs device design. The prototype device presented here harvests enough energy from a breath‐generated ion gradient to power small electronic devices, such as a light‐emitting diode (LED).