Metal-Free Hyper-Cross-Linked Polymers from Benzyl Methyl Ethers: A Route to Polymerization Catalyst Recycling

New routes to porous materials can help lower production costs, improve sustainability, and broaden design options. Here, we use a selection of organic acids as catalysts in the synthesis of organic hyper-cross-linked polymers from benzyl methyl ether compounds. This approach provides a new route to metal-free porous organic polymers and addresses one of the largest setbacks of hyper-cross-linked polymers by allowing the simple recovery and recycling of a nonmetallic catalyst. By use of p-toluenesulfonic acid, a solid at room temperature, catalyst recovery rates of >80% were easily achieved. The catalyst was then reused as recovered in the further production of hyper-cross-linked polymers. Three rounds of catalyst recycling are demonstrated on two different aromatic systems, with no apparent detriment to the chemical or textural properties of the resulting networks.

Automated summary

New routes to porous materials were explored using organic acids as catalysts in the synthesis of metal-free porous organic polymers. The use of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst allowed for easy recovery and recycling rates of >80%, with no apparent detriment to the resulting networks after three rounds of recycling.