Research Projects

Porous organic cages have garnered significant attention from supramolecular chemists, leading to a wide array of practical and innovative applications. In this regard, imine bonded covalent organic cages seized prodigious consideration as excellent catalytic hosts because of their unique 3D structural features, and intrinsically confined cavities. In this proposed research plan, we aim to design and develop various self-assembled porous cage compounds that will appear as ideal contenders for catalytic hosts. So, the goal can be achieved by one-pot imine condensation of suitably functionalized building blocks in a stochiometric manner which leads to thermodynamically stable porous molecular assembly. Further, the reductive amination of imine linkages results in a chemically more robust organic structure that possesses a strong resistance towards acids, bases, and water. The main drawback of other porous metal-based cage and framework systems, is that they easily degrade in the presence of nucleophiles, alkalis, acids, etc. owing to labile coordination linkages. Therefore, shape-persistent covalent amine cages emerge as ideal enzyme-like catalytic hosts for (a) easy solution phase processability due discrete nature of organic cage, (b) high chemical and thermal stability because of strong covalent bonded architectures, (c) structural tunability to obtain well-defined geometry, etc. In recent time research, the most crucial aptitudes of any catalyst are the control over stereochemistry and high yield of products. In the case of enzymatic catalysis where a confined micro-environment inside the cavity drives the reaction in a very stereoselective manner but the same precisions or advantages can’t be accomplished in bulk medium. But by employing supramolecular hosts such as porous organic cages those challenges could be overcome. The intrinsic cavity of covalent cage molecules as a nanoreactor helps to stabilize intermediates or transition states during the course of catalysis via several weak noncovalent interactions. Consequently, the activation energy barrier of organic transformations is substantially reduced which leads to a faster reaction rate. Also, suitable tailoring discrete organic cage molecules with various functional groups/moieties, could make the porous cavity hydrophobic or hydrophilic. Therefore, the reaction in confined pockets of organic vessels presented higher catalytic turnover owing to the enhanced and effective substrate accumulation. Moreover, 3D organic cage architecture helps the incoming substrate molecules to undergo proper alignment/orientation inside the cavity which results in stereoselective product formation. In the current scenario, catalytic reactions under photolytic and microwave conditions are in high demand rather than traditional approaches where extra co-ligands and additives are utilized. Thus, researchers shifted their intensive curiosity towards a modest, clean, and greener catalytic process.