Development of Novel Advanced Functional Porous Materials for Heterogeneous Catalysis and Arsenic Remediation for Safe Drinking Water

Abstract

Present day life is unthinkable without catalysis which has come forth as an indispensable technology toward the fundamental requisites of life. With thriving economy and an upsurge in global population together with downsizing of raw materials, manufacturing via more sustainable as well as greener approach achievable is of paramount importance. With this objective, the use of recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for fuel production and organic synthesis to minimize waste production and optimize catalyst efficiency has proven to be more promising. Water pollution has become a pressing global concern and the sequestration of contaminants present in water has gained significant research attention lately. With the development of manufacturing and mining, water sources have been pervaded with contaminants, putting Earth’s freshwater supply in peril. Especially, Organic arsenic used as a drug in poultry industry which discharged into environment make water and soil contaminant with arsenic poisoning. Detoxification of wastewater via adsorptive removal has come forth as a particularly potent method toward purification of water being environmentally benign, energy economic and cost-effective. Advanced functional porous materials (AFPMs), including MOFs, COFs, POPs, a class of highly stable and functionalized porous materials containing nanopores and high surface area, have recently emerged as a versatile platform for wide spectrum of applications. AFPMs offering the leverage of molecular level control in order to realize tailor made nano-space both in terms of porosity and desired chemical functionalities have shown great potency in heterogenous catalysis as well as water purification. This thesis consists of two chapter, chapter -I, titled as, “Function-led Design and Syntheses of Porous Organic Polymers as Sustainable Heterogeneous Catalyst”, contains chapter-2 and 3. Chapter-2, describe the successful design and synthesis of a porous organic polymer (IPpop-1) consists of urea functionalization and pyrimidine moiety, its composite preparation and utilization in H-bond donating Friedel-Craft alkylation and multi-component Michael-Knoevenagel condensation reaction under flow condition. In chapter-3, a series of imidazoline porous organic polymer (IPM-402Xs, -X = -F, -Cl, -Br) via tuning halide ion was synthesized to carry out the photocatalytic production of H2O2 from Air, water and sunlight. PartII, titled as, “Fabrication of Task Specific Porous Materials Towards Detection and Remediation of Toxic Organic Arsenic in Water for Safe Drinking Water”, contains chapter-4 and 5. Chapter-4 summarizes the developments of aromatic sulfonic acid decorated highly luminescent ionic metal organic framework (iMOF-12C) for selective detection of organic arsenic from water. Chapter-5 contains the study of design and synthesis of an ionic adaptable urea functionalized porous organic polymer (IPiPOP-3U) towards organic and inorganic arsenic decontamination from water and mechanistic insight. In summary, some key design parameters as well as post-polymerization structure modulation have been investigated meticulously in crafting superior porous materials toward enhanced performance in heterogeneous organocatalysis and water treatment.