Porous organic polymers containing carborane for hydrogen storage

Three porous organic polymers (POPs) containing carborane were successfully synthesized as adsorbents for gas storage applications, particularly for hydrogen storage. The current physisorption-based materials generally suffer from low isosteric heat of adsorption toward hydrogen molecules. To enhance the interaction between the adsorbent hydrogen, we prepared a series of POPs containing highly electron-deficient carborane components. These polymers have narrow pore size distribution with majority of the dimensions falling in the 0.7- to 1.0-nm range. High Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)-specific surface areas up to 1023 m2/g were obtained. Hydrogen adsorption capacities at 77, 195, and 298 K were measured using a Sievert isotherm apparatus. The initial heat of adsorption for the carborane -containing polymers was calculated to be 8–10 kJ/mol.