Transforming fragile porous powders into robust, engineered monoliths without compromising the major porosity remains a key challenge. Herein, we address this by developing a surface-selective modification strategy that grafts aldehyde groups solely onto the external surface of porous aromatic framework-1 (PAF-1), yielding S-PAF-1-CHO. This modification preserves its pristine 1.4 nm micropores while enabling covalent integration with chitosan via Schiff-base chemistry to form lightweight aerogels with a high S-PAF-1-CHO loading. The resulting monolithic sorbent maintains a high specific surface area, great mechanical stability and achieves an exceptional benzene adsorption capacity of 5.98 mmol g^-1 (2000 ppm). This work establishes a versatile paradigm for converting high-capacity porous powders into practical, shaped sorbents through precise interfacial engineering.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous transmitter with a wide range of physiological functions. Herein, a transdermal patch with a non-aggressive drug delivery manner using high specific surface area porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) as carriers is designed. With the surface-modified PAF-1, the internal hydrophobicity allows the equally hydrophobic NO donor, i.e. isoamyl nitrite (IAN), to be encapsulated into PAF-1’s pores. The external hydrophilicity allows the PAF-1 particles to be mixed well with the water-soluble polymer matrix, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), to prepare a mixed-matrix membrane (MMM) of IAN@PAF-1-mPEG/PVA as a patch. The MMM could release the NO very fast to ~ 14.3 μM in 6 min under a simulated environment. NO could also enter the bloodstream through the mice’s skin under thermal stimulation and could increase NO concentration in the blood of mice to ~ 4.8 μM in 25 min.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a two-dimensional (2D) layered material with a structure similar to graphite and it has potential as a hydrogen and ammonia storage material. However, dense packing in the standard h-BN structure limits its surface area and prevents the B and N from being adsorption sites. In this study, the addition of Mg²⁺ during h-BN synthesis facilitated the growth of lattice dislocations and led to a cross-linked three-dimensional (3D) porous structure. A proposed formation mechanism for porous h-BN was confirmed by several characterization routes, most clearly by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Porous Mg/BNs exhibited high H₂ and NH₃ uptakes and showed potential for H₂ and NH₃ storage.