Amide based porous organic polymers were synthesized by the reaction of 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride with 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine using two different solvents. Polyamide chains were derived from tri-functional monomers and their relative properties were compared in both media. These polymers were subjected to various analyses including FTIR, XRD, TGA, BET surface area and pore size analysis, FESEM and CO2 adsorption measurements. Thermal and chemical stability was achieved through strong amide building blocks in the polymer structure. The basic ring nitrogen and amide groups in the polyamide networks had the affinity to capture CO2. The maximum CO2 uptake of 2.99 cm3 g−1 (0.134 mmol g−1) at 273 K and 1 bar was obtained with the polyamide synthesized in DMAc–NMP (PA-1), revealing better efficiency than the polyamide prepared using 1,4-dioxane (PA-2) due to higher porosity and improved surface area. These thermally stable polyamides are anticipated to be good sorbents for CO2 capture in hostile environments.

Disulfide-linked covalent organic polymers (COPs) were prepared through catalyst-free oxidative coupling polymerization. Owing to the excellent swelling behavior, low cost, and efficient synthesis, these materials can be promising materials for removal of organics in concentrated streams. COPs show 1,4-dioxane uptake up to 1.8 g g−1.

Aromatic polyamide/organoclay nanocomposites were synthesized using the solution blending technique. Treatment of montmorillonite clay with p-phenylenediamine produced reactive organophilic clay for good compatibility with the matrix. Polyamide chains were prepared by condensing a mixture of 1,4-phenylenediamine and 4-4′-oxydianiline with isophthaloyl chloride under anhydrous conditions. These chains were end capped with carbonyl chloride using 1% extra acid chloride near the end of reaction to develop the interactions with organoclay. The dispersion and structure–property relationship were monitored using FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, DSC and tensile testing of the thin films. The structural investigations confirmed the formation of delaminated and disordered intercalated morphology with nanoclay loadings. This morphology of the nanocomposites resulted in their enhanced mechanical properties. The tensile behavior and glass transition temperature significantly augmented with increasing organoclay content showing a greater interaction between the two disparate phases.

Conductive nanocomposites were synthesized from surface modified clay and polypyrrole grafted triblock copolymer, polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-polystyrene (SEBS-g-PPy). The grafting of PPy was carried out on SEBS using FeCl3 as an oxidant and the formation of subsequent materials was monitored by IR, 1H NMR spectroscopy and Gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Surface treatment of the clay was carried out by ion exchange method using the cationic salt of 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane for better adhesion with the polymer matrix. Thin composite films containing 1–8-wt.% organoclay were investigated by FTIR, XRD, TEM, tensile testing, TGA, DSC and electrical conductivity measurements. The molar mass as determined by GPC was around 37,000. XRD pattern and TEM images described good dispersion of clay platelets in the nanocomposites. Tensile testing revealed improvement in mechanical properties up to 3-wt.% of organoclay. The bulk electrical conductivity was increased up to 7-wt.% with increase in resonance of delocalized electrons of stretched PPy chains due to hydrogen bonding with organoclay in the nanocomposites. Thermal decomposition temperatures of the nanocomposites were in the range 435–448 °C. The decomposition of the nanocomposites was observed at higher temperatures relative to the pure polymer matrix with increasing clay loading. The weight retained after 900 °C was approximately equal to the amount of organoclay added in the composites. These composite materials exhibited improvement in glass transition temperature as compared to SEBS-g-PPy.

The CO2 uptake capacity and CO2/N2 selectivity of Tröger's base-bridged nanoporous covalent organic polymers (TB-COPs) were investigated. The TB-COPs were synthesized by reacting the terminal amines of tetrahedral monomers – namely, tetraanilyladamantane and tetraanilylmethane – with dimethoxymethane in a one-pot reaction under relatively mild conditions. Interestingly, these two tetrahedral monomers formed nanoporous polymers with substantially different surface areas. While the polymer resulting from the Trögerization of the tetraanilyladamantane monomer (TB-COP-1) exhibited a high surface area of 1340 m2 g−1, that from the tetraanilylmethane monomer (TB-COP-2) was found to be only 0.094 m2 g−1. This unusual phenomenon can be explained by the proximity of the amino moieties to each other within the monomeric unit. A shorter distance between the amino groups enables intramolecular as well as intermolecular cyclization, thus resulting in a much lower porosity. TB-COP-1 exhibited significant CO2 uptake capacities of up to 5.19 and 3.16 mmol g−1 at 273 and 298 K under ambient pressure, and CO2/N2 selectivities of 79.2 and 68.9 at 273 and 298 K at 1 bar for a gas mixture of CO2[thin space (1/6-em)]:[thin space (1/6-em)]N2 at a ratio of 0.15[thin space (1/6-em)]:[thin space (1/6-em)]0.85. It is noteworthy that TB-COP-1 showed remarkable selectivity retention when increasing the temperature from 273 to 298 K.