Synthesis of melamine-based crystalline porous polymers and its silver-doped composites with one-pot approach for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Melamine-based covalent organic frameworks are of great concern due to the low cost of melamine but difficult to synthesize in traditional solvothermal methods without the help of structural isomerization, meanwhile having limited application domains because of strong hydrophobicity. Herein, we present a robust synthesis of melamine-based crystalline porous polymer MBCPP and its nano silver-doped composites with one-pot strategy for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. With silver nanoparticles doping, the porous structure of organic frameworks becomes more regular, and the catalysts present different phase separation and specific catalytic characteristics for equivalent reduction of 4-nitrophenol, revealing the catalytic mechanism of electron transfer explained by slow diffusion inside the catalysts. Moreover, this work displays a creative metal doping strategy for the combination of metal and COFs. [Display omitted] •Synthesize high crystalline melamine-based imine-linked CPP by solvothermal method.•Design Ag-doped melamine-based CPPs in different structures with one-pot strategy.•The CPPs composites give a framework regulation strategy by metal coordination.•The composites show homogeneous catalytic activities for reduction of 4-nitrophenol.