In Situ Encapsulation of Imidazolium Proton Carriers in Anionic Open Frameworks Leads the Way to Proton-Conducting Materials

Kangcai Wang, Xiujuan Qi, Zhi Wang, Ruihao Wang, Jie Sun*, Qinghua Zhang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Three anionic open frameworks, formulated as [Him]2Eu2(ox)4(H2O)2·2H2O (1), [Him]2Tb2(ox)4(H2O)2·2H2O (2), and [Hmim]2Eu2(ox)4(H2O)2·2H2O (3; ox = oxalate, im = imidazole, mim = methylimidazole), have been synthesized by a solvent-free method. In these solvent-free processes, in situ encapsulation of imidazolium in the channels of the anionic open frameworks was successfully achieved. These compounds show 1D channels with extensive hydrogen-bonding networks created between the guest molecules and adjacent oxalate oxygen atoms; the imidazolium or methylimidazolium cations are regularly arranged within the channels. Alternating current (AC) impedance measurements revealed that the three compounds display high proton conductivities (>10–3 S cm–1) at 298 K and 98 % relative humidity, with compound 2 showing the highest proton conductivity of 5.0 × 10–3 S cm–1 at 298 K. The high proton conductivities of compounds 1–3 may be attributed to the extensive hydrogen-bonding networks existing in the open frameworks, which are constructed by water molecules, protonated imidazole or methylimidazole molecules, and adjacent oxalate oxygen atoms. This work provides an efficient synthetic strategy for the construction of high-performance solid proton conductors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2295-2300
Number of pages6
JournalEuropean Journal of Inorganic Chemistry
Volume2017
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - 26 Apr 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Conducting materials
  • Hydrogen bonds
  • Metal-organic frameworks
  • Proton transport
  • X-ray diffraction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'In Situ Encapsulation of Imidazolium Proton Carriers in Anionic Open Frameworks Leads the Way to Proton-Conducting Materials'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this