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A series of benzimidazole-linked porous polymers are obtained by the condensation reaction between the o-aminobenzol end groups of building blocks (2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaaminotriphenylene, 3,3′-diaminobenzidine or 1,2,4,5-benzenetetraamine) and the aldehyde groups of building blocks [terephthalicaldehyde, 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxaldehyde, 1,3,5-tris(4-acetylphenyl)benzene or 1,3,5-tris(4-formylbiphenyl)amine] in one-pot synthesis without employing any catalyst or template. The existence of the imidazole ring in the obtained polymers could be identified by Fourier transform infrared and solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. The sphere-shaped morphology of the obtained polymers is observed through scanning electron microscopy. The polymers possess Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area values over 600 m2·g−1, showing hydrogen storage (up to 1.6 wt%, at 77 K and 1×105 Pa) and carbon dioxide capture (up to 12.6 wt%, at 273 K and 1×105 Pa) properties. Such polymers would possess good performance in the applications of gas storage and separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO)-wrapped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) hybrid materials are constructed via one-pot sonochemical synthesis and self-assembly, using ethylene glycol as the reducing agent. The synthesis process above took only 1 h, and the obtained hybrid materials exist as spheres wrapped with gauze-like GO sheets via ionic interaction-based self-assembly. The GO sheets are helpful for the well dispersion of the Au NPs. Furthermore, these materials possess enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation, owing to the synergistic effect of the two components in the hybrid materials. Our work may provide a convenient approach to control the size and morphology of the Au NPs for the synthesis of GO-wrapped hybrid materials, which opens up a feasible way to synthesize metal NPs/GO composites. Moreover, this method might lead to developing of a broad class of new functionalized materials wrapped with GO sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]