Ionic conductivity

Catalysis

Polymerization

Engineering

Polymer chemistry

Materials science

Ion exchange

Covalent organic framework

Biochemistry

Inorganic chemistry

Chemical engineering

Physical chemistry

Polymer

Organic chemistry

Membrane

Amine gas treating

Conductivity

Ionic bonding

Aldehyde

Chemistry

Electrode

Covalent bond

Monomer

Electrolyte

Nature Communications

Ionic covalent organic framework membranes (iCOFMs) hold great promise in ion conduction-relevant applications because the high content and monodispersed ionic groups could afford superior ion conduction. The key to push the upper limit of ion conductivity is to maximize the ion exchange capacity (IEC). Here, we explore iCOFMs with a superhigh ion exchange capacity of 4.6 mmol g-1, using a dual-activation interfacial polymerization strategy. Fukui function is employed as a descriptor of monomer reactivity. We use Brønsted acid to activate aldehyde monomers in organic phase and Brønsted base to activate ionic amine monomers in water phase. After the dual-activation, the reaction between aldehyde monomer and amine monomer at the water-organic interface is significantly accelerated, leading to iCOFMs with high crystallinity. The resultant iCOFMs display a prominent proton conductivity up to 0.66 S cm-1, holding great promise in ion transport and ionic separation applications.

Assembling covalent organic framework membranes with superior ion exchange capacity