Dual functionalization of porous aromatic frameworks as a new platform for heterogeneous cascade catalysis

Abstract

Dual functionalization of porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) has been illustrated in the context of incorporating two antagonistic sites of strong acid and strong base into the highly porous and highly robust PAF-1 via stepwise post-synthetic modification. The resulting bifunctionalized PAF-1 exhibits excellent performances in catalyzing a series of cascade reactions and demonstrates superior chemical stability compared to the counterparts of mesoporous silica and MOFs, thereby opening the door for dual functionalization of PAFs as a new platform for heterogeneous cascade catalysis.