There has recently been significant interest in developing advanced materials capable of catalyzing the destruction of CWAs. We report a hybrid organic/inorganic material based on organically-functionalized hexavanadate (V6) building blocks linked by 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxamide, N,N',N''-tris[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]- (trisTRIS) molecules in a polymer network, capable of catalyzing the hydrolysis of the nerve agent analog diethyl cyanophosphonate (DECP). The material swells instantaneously and forms gels when exposed to polar aprotic organic liquids, including dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), thereby demonstrating sequestration capabilities. Thirdly, the material can catalyze organic oxidation reactions such as the oxidation of thiols using ambient O2 to reoxidize the V6 units with an accompanying change in the color of the material, providing degradation and detection functionalities under ambient conditions. We demonstrate that the polymer is readily tunable through cation exchange, and that this process dramatically alters the physical properties of the material. We thank the ARO (grant W911NF-12-1-0136) for support.

Tunable gelating networks to entrap, detect, and catalytically destroy toxic agents

251st National Meeting (2016)

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