Multifunctional porous organic polymers as ideal platforms for gas uptake, metal-ions sensing, and cell imaging†

Porous organic polymers (POPs) possess versatile advantages, such as light weight, excellent stability, and high porosity. Hence, POPs could be ideal functional platforms. Herein, two multifunctional M-POPs were prepared via the Schiff-base reaction. They possessed good microporosity, remarkable stability, high-density N/O atoms, and excellent luminescence. Interestingly, the M-POPs achieved a good carbon dioxide-capture value of 17.1 wt% at 273 K and 1 bar, and provided excellent H₂ capture of 1.0 wt% at 77 K and 1 bar. The M-POPs had many hydroxyl groups and nitrogen on the walls, which aided the formation of metal-coordination sites. The M-POPs had an excellent capacity for the detection of metal ions that was accurate, selective, and sensitive. Furthermore, phospholipid-coated M-POPs could be used to detect metal ions in living cells. These results provide a new design for multifunctional POPs.