Towards Automated Microfluidic-based Platforms: Optimizing Hydrogenation Efficiency of Nitrobenzene through π-π Interactions in Pd Nanoparticles on Covalent Organic Frameworks.

Microplatform with timed automata has been leveraged for guiding the preparation of molecules, whereas the requirement of handling expertise and sophisticated instrument is inevitable in combination with heterogeneous catalysis. Here we report a microfluidic-based autolab with open structures, called Put & Play Automated Microplatform (PPAM). It shows the efficient hydrogenation performance of palladium nanoparticles on the triphenylene-based covalent organic frameworks (Pd/TP-COFs) in which the π-π interactions of TP rings in the vicinity of Pd is optimized by easy change-over of catalyst and simple tuning of reactor geometries in PPAM. Using experiment/simulation of the Pd/TP-COFs coating (PCC) and mixing (PCM) across PPAM with different channel sizes, the turnover frequencies are 60 times the commonly used batch reactor, and aniline productivity of 8.8 g h-1 is achieved in 0.09 cm3 . This work will raise awareness about the benefits of the catalyst-loaded microplatform in future materials performance campaigns.

2D conductive MOFs with sufficient redox sites: reduced graphene oxide/Cu-benzenehexathiolate composites as high capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

As a superconductive metal-organic framework (MOF) material, Cu-BHT (BHT: benzenehexathiol) can exhibit outstanding electrochemical properties owing to the potential redox reactions of the cuprous ions, sulfur species and benzene rings of Cu-BHT, but its compact texture limits the specific capacity of Cu-BHT. To improve the dense feature of Cu-BHT, rGO/Cu-BHT (rGO: reduced graphene oxide) composite materials are fabricated via a facile route and they exhibit applicable conductivities, improved lithium ion diffusion kinetics compared to pristine Cu-BHT, and sufficient redox sites. The rGO/Cu-BHT composite materials maximize the potential capacity of Cu-BHT, and the rGO/Cu-BHT 1 : 1 material achieves outstanding reversible specific capacities of 1190.4, 1230.8, 1131.4, and 898.7 mA h g-1, at current densities of 100, 200, 500, and 1000 mA g-1, respectively, superior to those of pristine Cu-BHT and rGO. These results present the promising future of 2D conductive MOFs as functional materials for energy storage, based on the regulation of electronic conductivity, redox sites, and lithium ion diffusion kinetics.