Efficient and Selective Adsorption of <i>cis</i>-Diols via the Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling-Modified Phenylboronic-Acid Functionalized Covalent Organic Framework

Abstract

In this work, a functional group (boronic acid) was modified onto a covalent organic framework (COF) using the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction to obtain a phenylboronic acid-functionalized covalent organic framework (BrCOF-PBA). This product was used as a selective adsorbent and largely as an efficient solid-phase extractant of flavonoids containing <i>cis</i>-diol structures like quercetin (QUE). Five or six-membered cyclic esters generated from the COF were characterized, and some physicochemical studies were performed, resulting in excellent chemical stability and crystallinity, high specific surface area, stable pore structure, and regular pore size. Unique selectivity of BrCOF-PBA was observed toward QUE and exhibited a huge adsorption capacity (213.96 mg g^-1) in a relatively short time (90 min). In contrast, the adsorption properties of morin (MOR) and kaempferol (KAE) with a certain degree of chemical similarity to QUE were only 27.62 and 21.76 mg g^-1, respectively. BrCOF-PBA also demonstrated good reusability and robustness, making it an attractive composite material for further analytical applicability.