Phosphate based new organic polymer networks for efficient dye sorption and catalyst loading for chemo-selective reactivity.

Phosphate based organic polymer networks (OPNs) have been synthesized for the first time for dye sorption and heterogeneous catalysis. The OPNs were sythesized by the polycondensation of POCl3 with di- and tri-hydroxy organic linkers e.g., quinol, 4,4'-biphenol, phloroglucinol and 1,3,5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)benzene. These show remarkably selective adsorption of cationic dyes methylene blue and propidium iodide via the electrostatic interaction of the polymers with the dyes. These OPNs also allow the in situ synthesis and stabilization of gold nanoparticles within the polymer networks which demonstrate effective heterogeneous, catalytic reduction of the aromatic nitro to amino group.