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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline, porous polymers, constructed by covalently linking organicmolecules into extended networks with highly organized 2D or 3D structures. COFs have uniform and tunable nanopore sizes as wellas high surface areas, rendering themselves ideal for separation, adsorption, catalysis, and many other applications. The existingsynthetic methods to produce COFs generally yield insoluble and unprocessable powders which limits their implementation for realworldapplications. This proposed work will focus on developing adaptive 2D COFs by molecularly incorporating functional groupsthat can respond to heat, UV light, or other external stimuli. More specifically, these functional groups are capable of reversiblyswitching between a neutral and charged state. In their charged states, these groups would exhibit intermolecular electrostaticrepulsion to suppress the attractive forces between 2D COF layers, thereby resulting in suspensions of self-exfoliated layers withimproved processability. Once the 2D COF sheets have been processed into a film, these functional groups can be deactivated totheir neutral states, thereby re-establishing the strong interlayer attractive interactions and significantly enhancing the material’smechanical and chemical stability. The processability and crystallinity control enabled by the proposed method will be harnessed toproduce 2D COF membranes for water purification. The highly directional and uniform nanopore channels inherent to 2D COFs yieldexcellent salt rejection and theoretical permeances several orders of magnitude higher than commercial reverse osmosis membranes.Enhancing the processability of these COF-based materials via stimuli-responsive functionalization is a critical step toward realizingtheir full potential. Advancing water recycling technology with these novel materials could lead to a new membrane-based module withsuperior performance and energy efficiency compared to the existing water recovery systems vital for space habitation.
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