Microporous Organic Polyimides for CO2 and H2O Capture and Separation from CH4 and N2 Mixtures: Interplay between Porosity and Chemical Function

Porous polyimides have been considered to be a promising material class for gas capture and sequestration, leading to the synthesis of a substantial number of individual networks with noteworthy sorption properties. In spite of these efforts, the vision of a chemical control of adsorption and desorption of small molecules, in particular, for the competing uptake of technical relevant gas mixtures, is still hardly investigated. Here, we present a systematic study of five new polyimide networks based on a set of linkers with chemical functionalities covering the full range from hydrophobic to hydrophilic interactions. The corresponding microporous organic polyimides (MOPI-I to -V) were synthesized successfully based on a condensation reaction between amino and anhydride linker molecules in m-cresol at high temperatures, resulting in cross-linking degrees beyond 95% in all cases. Argon and carbon dioxide isotherms reveal surface areas up to 940 m2/g with ultramicroporosity, about 50% microporosity and high t...