Search

Metallopolymers have emerged as a new type of advanced materials for multiple applications, involving nanoscience, energy storage and conversion, catalysis, as well as biomedicine. Metal components play a significant role in the performances and functionalities of metallopolymers, and can endow metallopolymers with unique optical, magnetic, electronic, catalytic and redox characteristics. In addition, the polymer backbones also provide good mechanical, processing and soluble properties to broaden the practicability of metallopolymers. Metal centers can be incorporated into polymer main chain, side chain or network to produce various metallopolymers. The current research interests are to design and develop functional metallopolymers with specific structures and required properties for valuable applications. This review focuses on recent advances of metallopolymers for multiple applications, such as self-assembly, biomaterials, optoelectronic materials, catalysis, smart gels and microgels, and ion-exchange membranes. This review is expected to give some insight into metallopolymers for developing the desired functional materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Design principles and action mechanisms of cyclodextrin-derived materials in water treatment are summarized. • Applications of cyclodextrin-derived materials in water treatment are discussed. • Challenges and prospects for cyclodextrin-derived materials in water treatment are presented. Modern lifestyle and industrialization have caused huge pressure on the natural environment. Especially, all kinds of toxic organic and inorganic contaminants are released to aquatic systems, ultimately leading to water pollution and human health risks. Therefore, it is an urgent priority to develop effective strategies for removing these contaminants and realizing water recycling. Cyclodextrins have attracted attention in water treatment due to their precise recognition of molecules and ions. This current review summarizes the latest development of the cyclodextrin-derived materials for water treatment. Cyclodextrin-derived materials are obtained from cross-linking, immobilization or self-assembly to enhance their properties for contaminant removal. Cyclodextrin-derived materials interact with contaminants by host–guest, electrostatic, H-bonding, hydrophobic, and π-π stacking interactions. Further emphasis is put on the applications of cyclodextrin-derived materials for adsorption treatment of various organic and inorganic contaminants, catalytic degradation of organic contaminants, oil–water separation, and membrane separation. Finally, future research directions and challenges of cyclodextrin-derived materials are discussed and summarized. This review offers valuable insight on the development of cyclodextrin-derived materials for water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Macromolecules containing two or more distinct types of metal centers. • Synthesis of heterometallic macromolecules. • Heterometallic macromolecules for self-assembly. • Heterometallic macromolecules for catalysis. • Heterometallic macromolecules as optoelectronic, magnetic and biomedical materials. Metallomacromolecules allow developing advanced materials with various characteristic properties including inter alia optoelectronics, conductivity, magnetism, self-healing, catalysis and cell targeting. Therefore, they possess broad application prospects in synthesis, nanoscience, bioscience, healthcare, energy storage and environment. In the past several decades, various metallomacromolecules have been developed, but more sophisticated materials involving two or more distinct types of metal centers (i.e. heterometallic macromolecules) have emerged with both possibilities of cumulating polyfunctional multimetallic properties and synergistic cooperative effects. The resulting more complex physical and chemical (reactivity) properties are at the origin of promising applications. This review article will summarize the synthetic methods for heterometallic macromolecules including heterometallopolymeric and heterometallodendritic materials. Their rich and multiple applications including multifunctional, supramolecular and self-assembly nanomaterial aspects in magnetism, optoelectronic, catalysis and biomedicine, are then carefully scrutinized. The current challenges of these heterometallopolymeric and heterometallodendritic nanomaterials are discussed, and perspectives of the field are provided with attempts to visualize new directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendronized polymers (DPs) are an increasing field at the interfaces between organic chemistry, polymer synthesis, and materials science, and in particular DPs are expected to provide designed applications as nanoparticle (NP) sensors and catalysts. Herein, we report a new highly-branched amphiphilic dendronized diblock copolymer containing bulky hydrophilic triethylene glycol (TEG) and hydrophobic ferrocenyl (Fc) groups via the living and controlled ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The amphiphilicity drives the self-assembly of the resulting DP into spherical nanoscale micelles in water using THF or DMSO as cosolvents. AuNPs and AgNPs of various sizes depending on the presence of NaBH 4 are successfully prepared using the DP as stabilizers or reductants and used as excellent catalysts for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol by NaBH 4. The obtained AuNPs about 2.1 nm show TONs up to 25 000 and TOFs of 26 400 h−1 and remain stable and efficient for this catalysis after two months. Highly-branched amphiphilic ferrocenyl-containing dendronized diblock copolymer is prepared by ROMP and used as stabilizers or reductants to synthesize AuNPs and AgNPs for high-efficiency catalysis in 4-nitrophenol reduction. Image 1 • Ferrocenyl dendronized diblock copolymer is synthesized by ROMP. • Dendronized copolymer can self-assemble into nanoscale spherical micelles. • Dendronized copolymer can be used as reducing and stabilizing agents for AuNPs/AgNPs. • AuNPs and AgNPs show high catalytic activity for 4-nitrophenol reduction. • AuNPs and AgNPs show long-term stability and efficiency for catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract A series of small-sized (about 2.0 nm) gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with apparent lattice fringes are synthesized by NaBH 4 reduction of HAuCl 4 in the presence of stabilizing linear or dendronized 1,2,3-triazolyl-containing ferrocenyl polymers. These AuNPs show high catalytic activity for biphasic 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) by NaBH 4. The lower generation G1 dendronized polymers (DPs) is a more efficient stabilizer for AuNP catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-NP than linear G0 polymers or bulky G2 DPs. The G1 DP-stabilized AuNPs are robust and easily recyclable, and the catalyst is recovered and reused at least twenty times with progressive smooth AuNP size increase along with some decrease of catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biopolymer-derived hydrogels with low-cost and sustainable features have been considered as fascinating supported materials for metal nanoparticles. Cellulose, as the most abundant biopolymer, is a renewable raw material to prepare biopolymer-derived hydrogels for catalysis. Here, a cellulose-based hydrogel is designed to load bimetallic (AuAg, AuPd and AgPd) nanoparticles. 4-Nitrophenol reduction and Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions are selected to evaluate and compare the catalytic performance of the resulting bimetallic nanoparticle-loaded cellulose-based composite hydrogels. The bimetallic nanocomposite hydrogels are easy to be recycled over 10 times during the catalytic experiments and possess good applicability and generality for various substrates. The catalytic activity of bimetallic nanocomposite hydrogels was compared with recent literatures. In addition, the possible catalytic mechanism is also proposed. This work is expected to give a new insight for designing and preparing bimetallic nanoparticle-based cellulose hydrogels and proves its applicability and prospect in the catalytic field. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their high catalytic activity, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been exploited as green and efficient catalysts in various chemical reactions, such as the oxidation of CO to CO 2 , aerobic oxidation of alcohols, C C coupling reactions and reduction reactions through transfer hydrogenation. Here, we report an efficient dendritic stabilizer for AuNPs. The dendritic stabilizer is a ferrocene-containing amphiphilic dendronized random copolymer that is synthesized by the ring-opening metathesis polymerization. And, the obtained amphiphilic copolymer can self-assemble into spherical micelles in aqueous solution, resulting in the formation of efficient nanoreactors for AuNPs in the 4-nitrophenol reduction to 4-aminophenol by NaBH 4. It is found that AuNPs obtained by using NaBH 4 as reductant have obviously smaller size and higher catalytic activity than those fabricated by using the ferrocene-based groups as reductant. The reusable experiment indicates that the small-sized AuNPs can be reused at least for fifteen times. We report ferrocene-containing amphiphilic dendronized random copolymer as efficient stabilizer for reusable gold nanoparticles in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]