Pyrolytic Depolymerization of Polyolefins Catalyzed by Zirconium-based UiO-66 Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Polyolefins such as polyethylenes and polypropylenes are the most-produced plastic waste globally, yet are difficult to convert into useful products due to their unreactivity. Pyrolysis is a practical method for large-scale treatment of mixed, contaminated plastic, allowing for their conversion into industrially-relevant petrochemicals. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), despite their tremendous utility in heterogenous catalysis, have been overlooked for polyolefin depolymerization due to their perceived thermal instabilities and inability of polyethylenes and polypropylenes to penetrate their pores. Herein, we demonstrate the viability of UiO-66 MOFs containing coordinatively-unsaturated zirconia nodes, as effective catalysts for pyrolysis that significantly enhances the yields of valuable liquid and gas hydrocarbons, whilst halving the amounts of residual solids produced. Reactions occur on the Lewis-acidic UiO-66 zirconia nodes, without the need for noble metals, and yields aliphatic product distributions distinctly different from the aromatic-rich hydrocarbons from zeolite catalysis. We also demonstrate the first unambiguous characterization of polyolefin penetration into UiO-66 pores at pyrolytic temperatures, allowing access to the abundant Zr-oxo nodes within the MOF interior for efficient C-C cleavage. Our work highlights the potential of MOFs as highly-designable heterogeneous catalysts for depolymerization of plastics which can complement conventional catalysts in reactivity.

Metal-Organic Framework superstructures with long-ranged orientational order via E-field assisted liquid crystal assembly.

Most MOFs are non-cubic, with functionality dependent upon crystallographic direction, and are largely prepared as microcrystalline powders. Therefore, general methods to orient and assemble free-standing MOF crystals are especially important and urgently needed. This is addressed here through the novel strategy of E-field assisted liquid crystal assembly, applied to MIL-53-NH2(Al), MIL-68(In) and NU-1000 MOF crystals, with aspect ratios ranging from 10 to 1.2, to form highly oriented MOF superstructures which were photopolymerized to fix their long-ranged order. This new strategy for controlling MOF orientation and packing side-steps the traditional requirements of particle monodispersity, shape homogeneity and high aspect ratios (>4.7) typical of colloidal and liquid crystal assembly, and is applicable even to polydispersed MOF crystals, thereby paving the way towards the development of highly oriented MOF composites with improved functionality.

Imidazole-stabilized, electron-deficient boron cations.

The borenium cations [(C7H5N2Ad)B(C6F5)2][AlCl4/Al2Cl7] 2a, and [(C7H5N2Me)B(C6F5)2][B(C6F5)4] 2b were prepared and are shown to feature a high Lewis acidity, the capability to activate hydrogen and to effect the 1,1-carborations of terminal and internal alkynes under mild conditions.

Synthesis of Complexes with Abnormal "Protic" N-Heterocyclic Carbenes.

Neutral 4-iodo-N-ethylimidazole 3 oxidatively adds to [Pt(PPh3)4] to give, in the presence of different tetraalkylammonium salts, complexes trans-[4], trans-[5], and trans-[6] containing an anionic C4-bound heterocycle with an unsubstituted ring-nitrogen atom. Complex trans-[4] reacts with the proton source NH4 I under protonation of the ring-nitrogen atom to produce complex trans-[7]I which bears an NH,NR-substituted aNHC ligand. The reaction of trans-[4] with CH3I yields the complex trans-[8]I which has a classical aNHC ligand with two alkylated ring-nitrogen atoms.

Photoresponsive liquid marbles and dry water.

Stimuli-responsive liquid marbles for controlled release typically rely on organic moieties that require lengthy syntheses. We report herein a facile, one-step synthesis of hydrophobic and oleophobic TiO2 nanoparticles that display photoresponsive wettability. Water liquid marbles stabilized by these photoresponsive TiO2 particles were found to be stable when shielded from ultraviolet (UV) radiation; however, they quickly collapsed after being irradiated with 302 nm UV light. Oil- and organic-solvent-based liquid marbles could also be fabricated using oleophobic TiO2 nanoparticles and show similar UV-induced collapse. Finally, we demonstrated the formation of the micronized form of water liquid marbles, also known as dry water, by homogenization of the TiO2 nanoparticles with water. The TiO2 dry water displayed a similar photoresponse, whereby the micronized liquid marbles collapsed after irradiation and the dry water turned from a free-flowing powder to a paste. Hence, by exploiting the photoresponsive wettability of TiO2, we fabricated liquid marbles and dry water that display photoresponse and studied the conditions required for their collapse.

Supergluing MOF liquid marbles.

Growth of NH(2)-MIL-53(Al) on alumina microparticles followed by post-synthetic modification with perfluorooctyl or caproic groups produces highly hydrophobic microparticles which are utilized for the formation of liquid marbles. Interfacial polymerization of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate on the surface of the liquid marbles produces stable liquid capsules.