Effect of Solvents on Porous Properties of Microporous Polyphenylenes

Microporous organic polymers are of considerable interest for the development of gas separation technologies, catalysis, gas storage systems and other areas. This study shows the effect of porogenic solvents (toluene, o-xylene, DMF) on the pore size distribution, volume and content of micropores in microporous polyphenylenes. Using scanning electron microscopy, a strong effect of solvents on the morphology of the resulting polymers was shown. The nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms allowed for determining the optimal conditions for the synthesis of soluble microporous polyphenylenes, leading to samples with the highest degree of microporosity.