Construction of Microporous Organic Nanotubes Based on Scholl Reaction

Herein, we demonstrate a facile method for the preparation of microporous organic nanotubes (MONTs) based on a combination of hyper-cross-linking mediated self-assembling strategy and Scholl reaction by using polylactide-b-polystyrene diblock copolymers (PLA-b-PS) as precursors, in which the PS block forms the microporous organic frameworks of nanotubes through the C-C coupling reaction, while the PLA segment is completely degraded to produce the hollow mesoporous tubular structure. Owing to their high special surface area, robust organic framework and open-ended tubular structure, the obtained MONTs exhibit the outstanding adsorption capacity and efficiency for p-cresol and different organic vapors. Moreover, microporous carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) can be prepared by further carbonization. The resultant MCNTs as electrode materials of a supercapacitor display excellent electrochemical performance with specific capacitances of up to 192 F g^-1 at 0.5 A g^-1, with capacitance retention of 97% even after 5000 cycles at 10 A g^-1. The methodology provides a new route for fabrication of microporous organic nanotubes for various potential applications including energy storage, adsorption, separation, and catalysis.