An AIEgen-based 3D covalent organic framework for white light-emitting diodes

Supramolecular Assembly with Near-Infrared Emission for Two-Photon Mitochondrial Targeted Imaging

Two-photon supramolecular assembly with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence emission is constructed from tetraphenylethene derivative possessing methoxyl and vinyl pyridine salt (TPE-2SP), cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]), and β-cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid (HA-CD). The obtained experimental results indicate that the TPE-2SP exhibits a very weak fluorescence emission at 650 nm, and then complexes with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) to form 1:2 supramolecular pseudorotaxane with an enhanced NIR fluorescence emission at 660 nm. Compared with CB[7], CB[8] can assemble with TPE-2SP to be two-axial netlike pseudopolyrotaxane, resulting in close packing to increase TPE-2SP fluorescence emission with a redshift of 30 nm. Interestingly, TPE-2SP/CB[8] continues to assemble with cancer cell targeting agent HA-CD into nanoparticles, leading to assembling-induced further enhancement of NIR emission. Surprisingly, supramolecular nanoparticles have the two-photon character, and are successfully applied to mitochondrial targeting imaging. This supramolecular assembly system, with two-photon absorption and assembly-induced enhanced NIR luminescence properties, opens new way for biological targeted imaging.

Coordination-induced spontaneous resolution of a TPPE-based MOF and its use as a crystalline sponge in guest determination

In this work, by virtue of a coordination-induced fixation of the propeller-like conformation of the tetraphenylethylene (TPE) backbone, we achieved a spontaneous resolution of conglomerate-forming enantiomers of [Co(TPPE)Cl2]·4DMF (1M and 1P), as unambiguously probed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Benefitting from the robust, accessible, and electron-rich 1D channels, the chiral MOF turned out to be a good 'crystalline sponge' to adsorb and determine six liquid guests, of which two (2-butanol and 2-butylamine) are crystallized in an enantiospecific manner.

Tuning the Topology of Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks via Steric Control: From to Unprecedented

Whether or not the topology of three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) can be tuned via steric control remains a big question and has never been reported. Herein, we describe the designed synthesis of two highly crystalline 3D COFs (3D-TPB-COF-OMe and 3D-TPB-COF-Ph), through the polycondensation of tetra(p-aminophenyl)methane and methoxy- or phenyl- substituted 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-formylphenyl)benzene on the 3- and 6-positions. Amazingly, by using the continuous rotation electron diffraction technique, 3D-TPB-COF-OMe is determined to have a 5-fold interpenetrated structure with a reported pts net, while 3D-TPB-COF-Ph adopts an unprecedented self-penetrated ljh topology (ljh = Luojia Hill) that does not exist in the database of ToposPro. Therefore, by altering the substituents from methoxy to phenyl groups, the topology of designed 3D COFs changes accordingly, and a rare net is now available. This result clearly demonstrates that such COF structures need to be carefully determined due to its complexity, and moreover, it is promising to design 3D COFs with new topology for interesting application by increasing the steric hindrance of molecular building blocks.

Confinement-guided photophysics in MOFs, COFs, and cages

In this review, the dependence of the photophysical response of chromophores in the confined environments associated with crystalline scaffolds, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), and molecular cages, has been carefully evaluated. Tunability of the framework aperture, cavity microenvironment, and scaffold topology significantly affects emission profiles, quantum yields, or fluorescence lifetimes of confined chromophores. In addition to the role of the host and its effect on the guest, the methods for integration of a chromophore (e.g., as a framework backbone, capping linker, ligand side group, or guest) are discussed. The overall potential of chromophore-integrated frameworks for a wide-range of applications, including artificial biomimetic systems, white-light emitting diodes, photoresponsive devices, and fluorescent sensors with unparalleled spatial resolution are highlighted throughout the review.

Simple-Structured Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter for Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with External Quantum Efficiency of over 20

Solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are much preferred for the manufacture of low-temperature, low-cost, large-area, and flexible lighting and displaying devices. However, these devices with high external quantum efficiency are still limited, especially for blue ones. In addition, the molecular configurations of emitters are usually complicated, indicative of high costs. In this study, two simple-structured thermally activated delayed fluorescent emitters M1 and its polymer P1 were synthesized with acridine as a donor and benzophenone as an acceptor. Solution-processed OLEDs were prepared based on M1 and P1 as doped light-emitting layer, and M1-based doped device could achieve maximum external quantum efficiency of up to 20.6% with blue-light emission.

The Prospect of Dimensionality in Porous Semiconductors

With the advent of silicon-based semiconductors, a plethora of previously unknown technologies became possible. The development of lightweight low-dimensional organic semiconductors followed soon after. However, the efficient charge/electron transfers enabled by the non-porous 3D structure of silicon is rather challenging to be realized by their (metal-)organic counterparts. Nevertheless, the demand for lighter, more efficient semiconductors is steadily increasing resulting in a growing interest in (metal-)organic semiconductors. These novel materials are faced with a variety of challenges originating from their chemical design, their packing and crystallinity. Although the effect of molecular design is quite well understood, the influence of dimensionality and the associated change in properties (porosity, packing, conjugation) is still an uncharted area in (metal-)organic semiconductors, yet highly important for their practical utilization. In this Minireview, an overview on the design and synthesis of porous semiconductors, with a particular emphasis on organic semiconductors, is presented and the influence of dimensionality is discussed.

Rational design of isostructural 2D porphyrin-based covalent organic frameworks for tunable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Covalent organic frameworks have recently gained increasing attention in photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water. However, their structure-property-activity relationship, which should be beneficial for the structural design, is still far-away explored. Herein, we report the designed synthesis of four isostructural porphyrinic two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (MPor-DETH-COF, M = H₂, Co, Ni, Zn) and their photocatalytic activity in hydrogen generation. Our results clearly show that all four covalent organic frameworks adopt AA stacking structures, with high crystallinity and large surface area. Interestingly, the incorporation of different transition metals into the porphyrin rings can rationally tune the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of corresponding covalent organic frameworks, with the order of CoPor-DETH-COF < H₂Por-DETH-COF < NiPor-DETH-COF < ZnPor-DETH-COF. Based on the detailed experiments and calculations, this tunable performance can be mainly explained by their tailored charge-carrier dynamics via molecular engineering. This study not only represents a simple and effective way for efficient tuning of the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activities of covalent organic frameworks at molecular level, but also provides valuable insight on the structure design of covalent organic frameworks for better photocatalysis.

Precise Design of Covalent Organic Frameworks for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Electrochemical synthesis of H₂ O₂ with high productivity is a significant challenge in electrocatalysis. Herein, we develop Mg-ion contained covalent organic frameworks (MgP-DHTA-COF), comprising stacked 2D layers, well-defined skeletons, and well-ordered monodispersed active sites, for the electrocatalytic production of H₂ O₂ directly from O₂ and H₂ O. The precise-designed MgP-DHTA-COF achieves H₂ O₂ selectivity up to 96%, high Faradaic efficiency of 91% and reliable stability for H₂ O₂ synthesis in 0.10 mol L^-1 KOH aqueous solution. Both experiments and simulations demonstrate that the pyrrolic-N fixed Mg ions in the knots promote the reactivity of COF and enhance the adsorption ability of OOH*. This work provides a valuable example for the design of an efficient electrocatalyst based on COFs for H₂ O₂ production.

Controlled synthesis of fluorescent carbon materials with the assistance of capillary electrophoresis

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) have been widely applied in variety of fields, while some evidences indicate their components may be complicated. In this work, capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to evaluate the effect of synthetic conditions of fluorescent CNDs prepared through the hydrothermal method using citric acid (CA) and Triaminoguanidinium chloride (TG_Cl) as the starting materials. The results indicated that the fluorescent components of the products were affected by the ratio of the starting materials, the reaction temperature and reaction time. Under selected conditions, a ratio of TG_Cl to CA of 1:6, the reaction at 180 °C for 3 h, the product contains more than 4 fluorescent components with similar optical properties. CNDs were used for the determination of Cr(VI) in environmental samples with recoveries ranging in 95.3-107%, and the mechanism was also confirmed.

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction Elucidates Water-Specific Polymorphism-Induced Emission Enhancement of Bis-arylacylhydrazone

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) phenomena have gained intense interest over the last decades because of its importance in solid-state emission. However, the elucidation of a working mechanism is difficult owing to the limited characterization methods on solid-state molecules, further complicated if dynamic structural changes occur. Here, a series of bis-arylacylhydrazones (BAHs) were synthesized, for which their AIE properties are only turned on by the reversible adsorption of water molecules. We used microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) to determine the molecular structures of two BAHs directly from bulk powders (without attempting to grow crystals) prepared in the absence or presence of water adsorption. This study reveals the unambiguous characterization of the dependence of crystal packing on the specific cocrystallization with hydrates. The structural analysis demonstrates that water molecules form strong hydrogen bonds with three neighboring BAH-1, resulting in the almost complete planarization and restriction of the intramolecular rotation of the molecule. MicroED plays an important role in providing a decisive clue for the reversible polymorphism changes induced by the adsorption of water molecules, regulating emissive properties.

A Crystalline Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework with Flexible Building Blocks

The construction of three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) has proven to be very challenging, as their synthetic driving force mainly comes from the formation of covalent bonds. To facilitate the synthesis, rigid building blocks are always the first choice for designing 3D COFs. In principle, it should be very appealing to construct 3D COFs from flexible building blocks, but there are some obstacles blocking the development of such systems, especially for the designed synthesis and structure determination. Herein, we reported a novel highly crystalline 3D COF (FCOF-5) with flexible C-O single bonds in the building block backbone. By merging 17 continuous rotation electron diffraction data sets, we successfully determined the crystal structure of FCOF-5 to be a 6-fold interpenetrated pts topology. Interestingly, FCOF-5 is flexible and can undergo reversible expansion/contraction upon vapor adsorption/desorption, indicating a breathing motion. Moreover, a smart soft polymer composite film with FCOF-5 was fabricated, which can show a reversible vapor-triggered shape transformation. Therefore, 3D COFs constructed from flexible building blocks can exhibit interesting breathing behavior, and finally, a totally new type of soft porous crystals made of pure organic framework was announced.

Novel One-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework as a H+ Fluorescent Sensor in Acidic Aqueous Solution

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent an emerging class of two- or three-dimensional crystalline porous materials with delicate control over topology, composition, and porosity. Here, we develop a new COF made up of 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-formylphenyl)pyrene (TFPPy) and 4,4'-diaminobenzophenone (DABP) that exhibits a rare one-dimensional (1D) structure. The resulting frameworks possess good crystallinity, comparatively high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area (426 m²/g), and good thermal stability (360 °C). Impressively, this 1D COF shows strong fluorescence and can be used as an excellent H⁺ sensor in an acidic aqueous solution.

Conjugation- and Aggregation-Directed Design of Covalent Organic Frameworks as White-Light-Emitting Diodes

2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a promising class of organic luminescent materials due to their structural diversity, which allows the systematic tuning of organic building blocks to optimize emitting properties. However, a significant knowledge gap exists between the design strategy and the fundamental understanding of the key structural parameters that determine their photophysical properties. In this work, we report two highly emissive sp²-C-COFs and the direct correlation of the structure (conjugation and aggregation) with their light absorption/emission, charge transfer (CT), and exciton dynamics, the key properties that determine their function as luminescent materials. We show that white light can be obtained by simply coating COFs on an LED strip or mixing the two COFs. Using the combination of time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy as well as computational prediction, we show that the planarity, conjugation, orientation of the dipole moment, and interlayer aggregation not only determine the light-harvesting ability of COFs but also control the exciton relaxation pathway and photoluminescent quantum yield.

A tetraphenylethylene-based covalent organic framework for waste gas adsorption and highly selective detection of Fe3+

A tetraphenylethylene-based covalent organic framework shows an outstanding performance for waste gas adsorption and has good selectivity and detection effect for Fe3+.

Optoelectronic processes in covalent organic frameworks

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are crystalline porous materials constructed from molecular building blocks using diverse linkage chemistries. The image illustrates electron transfer in a COF-based donor–acceptor system. Image by Nanosystems Initiative Munich.

Transformation between 2D covalent organic frameworks with distinct pore hierarchy via exchange of building blocks with different symmetries

Transformation between 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) via exchange of molecular building blocks with different symmetries has been realized, which gives rise to the conversion between 2D COFs with distinct pore hierarchy. This type of monomer replacement has expanded the scope of the building-unit-exchange-based COF-to-COF transformation strategy.

Self-templated synthesis of uniform hollow spheres based on highly conjugated three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have served as a family of porous crystalline molecules for various promising applications. However, controllable synthesis of COFs with uniform morphology is paramount yet still remains quite challenging. Herein, we report self-templated synthesis of uniform and unique hollow spheres based on highly conjugated three-dimensional (3D) COFs with diameters of 500–700 nm. A detailed time-dependent study reveals the continuous transformation from initial nano sphere-like particles into uniform hollow spherical structures with Ostwald ripening mechanism. Particularly, the resulting 3D COF (3D-Sp-COF) is prone to transport ions more efficiently and the lithium-ion transference number (t⁺) of 3D-Sp-COF reaches 0.7, which even overwhelms most typical PEO-based polymer electrolytes. Inspiringly, the hollow spherical structures show enhanced capacitance performance with a specific capacitance of 251 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹, which compares favorably with the vast majority of two-dimensional COFs and other porous electrode materials.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising porous crystalline materials but controllable synthesis of COFs with uniform morphology remains challenging. Here, the authors report a self-templated synthesis of uniform and unique hollow spheres based on highly conjugated three-dimensional COFs.

Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks: From Topology Design to Applications

ConspectusCovalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent a novel type of crystalline porous polymers with potential applications in many areas. Considering their covalent connectivity in different dimensions, COFs are classified as two-dimensional (2D) layered structures or three-dimensional (3D) networks. In particular, 3D COFs have gained increasing attention recently because of their remarkably large surface areas (>5000 m²/g), hierarchical nanopores and numerous open sites. However, it has been proven to be a major challenge to construct 3D COFs, as the main driving force for their synthesis comes from the formation of covalent bonds. In addition, there are several stones on the roads blocking the development of 3D COFs. First, the successful topology design strategies of 3D COFs have been limited to [4 + 2] or [4 + 3] condensation reactions of the tetrahedral molecules with linear or triangular building blocks in the first decade, which led to only three available topologies (ctn, bor, and dia) and strongly restricted the incorporation of some important functional units. Next, as it is very challenging to obtain large-size single crystals of 3D COFs and the same building blocks may yield many possible structures that are quite difficult to identify from simulations, their structure determination has been considered a major issue. Last, the building blocks utilized to synthesize 3D COFs are very limited, which further affects their functionalization and applications. Therefore, since it was first announced in 2007, research studies regarding 3D COFs have been underexplored for many years, and very few examples have been reported.To confront these obstacles in 3D COFs, we started contributing to this field in 2016. Considering that many interesting quadrilateral molecules (e.g., pyrene and porphyrin) cannot be easily derivatized into linear or triangular motifs, we developed a novel topology design strategy to construct 3D COFs via [4 + 4] condensation reactions of tetrahedral and quadrilateral building blocks. After many trials, we found that this is a general synthetic strategy to build 3D COFs with the new pts topology. In addition, we explored the structure determination of polycrystalline 3D COFs prepared by our developed strategy via a 3D electron diffraction technique. Moreover, we expanded the toolbox of molecular building blocks for creating 3D COFs and successfully demonstrated the functionalization of 3D COFs with characteristic properties and applications. In this Account, we summarize our above ongoing research contributions, including (i) a novel topology design strategy for the synthesis of 3D COFs; (ii) attempts to determine the crystal structure of polycrystalline 3D COFs with atomic resolution; and (iii) the diversification of building blocks and applications of functionalized 3D COFs. Overall, our studies not only offer a new paradigm of expansion in the topology design strategy and building block families of 3D COFs, but also provide an idea of future opportunities for relevant researchers in this field.

Direct-Space Structure Determination of Covalent Organic Frameworks from 3D Electron Diffraction Data

Structure determination of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with atomic precision is a bottleneck that hinders the development of COF chemistry. Although three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D-ED) data has been used to solve structures of sub-micrometer-sized COFs, successful structure solution is not guaranteed as the data resolution is usually low. We demonstrate that the direct-space strategy for structure solution, implemented using a genetic algorithm (GA), is a successful approach for structure determination of COF-300 from 3D-ED data. Structural models with different geometric constraints were considered in the GA calculations, with successful structure solution achieved from room-temperature 3D-ED data with a resolution as low as ca. 3.78 Å. The generality of this strategy was further verified for different phases of COF-300. This study demonstrates a viable strategy for structure solution of COF materials from 3D-ED data of limited resolution, which may facilitate the discovery of new COF materials in the future.

Redox-triggered switching in three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks

The tuning of molecular switches in solid state toward stimuli-responsive materials has attracted more and more attention in recent years. Herein, we report a switchable three-dimensional covalent organic framework (3D COF), which can undergo a reversible transformation through a hydroquinone/quinone redox reaction while retaining the crystallinity and porosity. Our results clearly show that the switching process gradually happened through the COF framework, with an almost quantitative conversion yield. In addition, the redox-triggered transformation will form different functional groups on the pore surface and modify the shape of pore channel, which can result in tunable gas separation property. This study strongly demonstrates 3D COFs can provide robust platforms for efficient tuning of molecular switches in solid state. More importantly, switching of these moieties in 3D COFs can remarkably modify the internal pore environment, which will thus enable the resulting materials with interesting stimuli-responsive properties.

Tuning of molecular switches in solid state toward stimuli-responsive materials attracted attention in recent years but has not yet been realized in three-dimensional (3D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Herein, the authors demonstrate a stable and switchable 3D COF which undergoes reversible transformation through a hydroquinone/quinone redox reaction.

Full-color fluorescent carbon quantum dots

Quantum dots have innate advantages as the key component of optoelectronic devices. For white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs), the modulation of the spectrum and color of the device often involves various quantum dots of different emission wavelengths. Here, we fabricate a series of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) through a scalable acid reagent engineering strategy. The growing electron-withdrawing groups on the surface of CQDs that originated from acid reagents boost their photoluminescence wavelength red shift and raise their particle sizes, elucidating the quantum size effect. These CQDs emit bright and remarkably stable full-color fluorescence ranging from blue to red light and even white light. Full-color emissive polymer films and all types of high-color rendering index WLEDs are synthesized by mixing multiple kinds of CQDs in appropriate ratios. The universal electron-donating/withdrawing group engineering approach for synthesizing tunable emissive CQDs will facilitate the progress of carbon-based luminescent materials for manufacturing forward-looking films and devices.

Research Progress in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photoluminescent Materials

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging kind of crystalline porous polymers that present the precise integration of organic building blocks into extensible structures with regular pores and periodic skeletons. The diversity of organic units and covalent linkages makes COFs a rising materials platform for the design of structure and functionality. Herein, recent research progress in developing COFs for photoluminescent materials is summarised. Structural and functional design strategies are highlighted and fundamental problems that need to be solved are identified, in conjunction with potential applications from perspectives of photoluminescent materials.

Ultralight covalent organic framework/graphene aerogels with hierarchical porosity

The fabrication of macroscopic objects from covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is challenging but of great significance to fully exploit their chemical functionality and porosity. Herein, COF/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels synthesized by a hydrothermal approach are presented. The COFs grow in situ along the surface of the 2D graphene sheets, which are stacked in a 3D fashion, forming an ultralight aerogel with a hierarchical porous structure after freeze-drying, which can be compressed and expanded several times without breaking. The COF/rGO aerogels show excellent absorption capacity (uptake of >200 g organic solvent/g aerogel), which can be used for removal of various organic liquids from water. Moreover, as active material of supercapacitor devices, the aerogel delivers a high capacitance of 269 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ and cycling stability over 5000 cycles.

Macroscopic architectures of covalent organic frameworks (COF) allow to fully exploit their chemical functionality and porosity but achieving three-dimensional hierarchical porous COF architectures remains challenging. Here, the authors present a COF/reduced graphene oxide aerogel which is synthesized by growing COF during a hydrothermal process along the surface of graphene sheets.

Enantiomeric MOF Crystals Using Helical Channels as Palettes with Bright White Circularly Polarized Luminescence

The host-guest chemistry of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has enabled the derivation of numerous new functionalities. However, intrinsically chiral MOFs (CMOFs) with helical channels have not been used to realize crystalline circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials. Herein, enantiomeric pairs of MOF crystals are reported, where achiral fluorophores adhere to the inner surface of helical channels via biology-like H-bonds and hence inherit the helicity of the host MOFs, eventually amplifying the luminescence dissymmetry factor (g_lum ) of the host l/d-CMOF (±1.50 × 10^-3 ) to a maximum of ±0.0115 for the composite l/d-CMOF⊃fluorophores. l/d-CMOF⊃fluorophores in pairs generate bright color-tunable CPL and almost ideal white CPL (0.33, 0.32) with a record-high photoluminescence quantum yield of ≈30%, which are further assembled into a white circularly polarized light-emitting diode. The present strategy opens a new avenue for propagating the chirality of MOFs to realize universal chiroptical materials.

Large Exciton Diffusion Coefficients in Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks with Different Domain Sizes Revealed by Ultrafast Exciton Dynamics

Large singlet exciton diffusion lengths are a hallmark of high performance in organic-based devices such as photovoltaics, chemical sensors, and photodetectors. In this study, exciton dynamics of a two-dimensional covalent organic framework, 2D COF-5, is investigated using ultrafast spectroscopic techniques. After photoexcitation, the COF-5 exciton decays via three pathways: (1) excimer formation (4 ± 2 ps), (2) excimer relaxation (160 ± 40 ps), and (3) excimer decay (>3 ns). Excitation fluence-dependent transient absorption studies suggest that COF-5 has a relatively large diffusion coefficient (0.08 cm²/s). Furthermore, exciton-exciton annihilation processes are characterized as a function of COF-5 crystallite domain size in four different samples, which reveal domain-size-dependent exciton diffusion kinetics. These results reveal that exciton diffusion in COF-5 is constrained by its crystalline domain size. These insights indicate the outstanding promise of delocalized excitonic processes available in 2D COFs, which motivate their continued design and implementation into optoelectronic devices.

Non-Interpenetrated Single-Crystal Covalent Organic Frameworks

Growth of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as single crystals is extremely challenging. Inaccessibility of open-structured single-crystal COFs prevents the exploration of structure-oriented applications. Herein we report for the first time a non-interpenetrated single-crystal COF, LZU-306, which possesses the open structure constructed exclusively via covalent assembly. With a high void volume of 80 %, LZU-306 was applied to investigate the intrinsic dynamics of reticulated tetraphenylethylene (TPE) as the individual aggregation-induced-emission moiety. Solid-state ² H NMR investigation has determined that the rotation of benzene rings in TPE, being the freest among the reported cases, is as fast as 1.0×10⁴  Hz at 203 K to 1.5×10⁷  Hz at 293 K. This research not only explores a new paradigm for single-crystal growth of open frameworks, but also provides a unique matrix-isolation platform to reticulate functional moieties into a well-defined and isolated state.

Assembling well-arranged covalent organic frameworks on MOF-derived graphitic carbon for remarkable formaldehyde sensing

Constructing heterostructures with advanced architectures is an effective strategy for enhancing the crystallinity and functional performance of covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Herein, a novel core-shell heterostructure integrating a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived graphitic carbon core (GC) and a well-arranged COF shell, termed MOF-GC@COF, is reported. ZIF-67 dodecahedra are first chemically etched with a weak organic acid and further converted to MOF-GC via thermal pyrolysis. In the subsequent step, β-ketoenamine-linked COF nanofibers are vertically assembled on the surface of the MOF-GC cores to generate the MOF-GC@COF heterostructure. As a proof-of-concept application, the as-prepared MOF-GC@COF heterostructure is used as an effective quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor for the adsorption of formaldehyde. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the hybrid composition and the advantages of the core-shell heterostructure, the newly prepared MOF-GC@COF heterostructure exhibits excellent sensing performance toward formaldehyde with rapid adsorption kinetics, high sensitivity, and superior selectivity.

Three-Dimensional Chemically Stable Covalent Organic Frameworks through Hydrophobic Engineering

The development of three-dimensional (3D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high chemical stability is of critical importance for their practical use. In this work, it is demonstrated that the stability of 3D COFs can be improved by periodic decoration of isopropyl groups on their backbones. Owing to the strong hydrophobicity of the alkyl groups, the resultant COFs show high crystallinity, permanent pores, and exceptional stability in harsh environments, such as strong acids (3 m HCl or 3 m H₂ SO₄ for one week), a strong base (20 m NaOH for one week), and boiling water (100 °C for one month). Furthermore, these highly stable and hydrophobic COFs display excellent oil/water separation performance with >99 % separation efficiency over a wide pH range. This work demonstrates the use of alkyl decoration in 3D COFs to tune their chemical stability and expand their potential applications.

Chip-Level Integration of Covalent Organic Frameworks for Trace Benzene Sensing

State-of-the-art chemical sensors based on covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are restricted to the transduction mechanism relying on luminescence quenching and/or enhancement. Herein, we present an alternative methodology via a combination of in situ-grown COF films with interdigitated electrodes utilized for capacitive benzene detection. The resultant COF-based sensors exhibit highly sensitive and selective detection at room temperature toward benzene vapor over carbon dioxide, methane, and propane. Their benzene detection limit can reach 340 ppb, slightly inferior to those of the metal oxide semiconductor-based sensors, but with reduced power consumption and increased selectivity. Such a sensing behavior can be attributed to the large dielectric constant of the benzene molecule, distinctive adsorptivity of the chosen COF toward benzene, and structural distortion induced by the custom-made interaction pair, which is corroborated by sorption measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provides new perspectives for fabricating COF-based sensors with specific functionality targeted for selective gas detection.

Tetraphenylethene-Based Supramolecular Coordination Frameworks with Aggregation-Induced Emission for an Artificial Light-Harvesting System

Supramolecular coordination is an efficient strategy to construct supramolecular coordination frameworks with predesigned structures, assembled shapes, and specific function. In this work, we report the synthesis, structural characterization, and photophysical property of two tetraphenylethene-based supramolecular coordination frameworks 1a and 1b formed from 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)ethene (2a) or 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(4-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)phenyl)ethene (2b) and a linear difunctional platinum(II) ligand (3a) via coordination-driven self-assembly. Controlled by the specific angularity and geometry of tetraphenylethene (with 60° and 120°) and difunctional Pt(II) linker (with 180°), these supramolecular coordination frameworks possess a well-defined and two-dimensional (2D) rhombic network-type topology with good periodicity and porosity. Given the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property of tetraphenylethene units and the porosity of frameworks, 1a and 1b have been successfully used as fluorescent platforms and energy donors to fabricate efficient artificial light-harvesting materials with two fluorescent acceptors (Nile Red and Sulforhodamine 101) via noncovalent interactions in aqueous solution. Furthermore, these light-harvesting materials have been applied for promoting cancer cell imaging with a full shift of imaging channels from blue/green channels to the red channel. Thus, this study provides an effective approach to fabricate functional frameworks as fluorescent platforms for developing more fluorescent materials.

MOF@COFs with Strong Multiemission for Differentiation and Ratiometric Fluorescence Detection

Aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) is often observed in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for their low emission. Here, we propose that limited COF layers form on UiO-66 to eliminate the ACQ by the formation of UiO@COF composites. UiO-66 is selected because this metal-organic framework (MOF) is easily prepared in nanosize with Zr⁴⁺ ion and 2-aminoterephthalic acid (BDC-NH₂). The high affinity of the Zr⁴⁺ ion to phosphate species improves sensing selectivity. The surface -NH₂ reacts with 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp) to integrate COF1 and COF2, which are prepared with Tp and phenylenediamine or tetraamino-tetraphenylethylene, respectively. The hydrogen bond formed between the hydroxyl group in Tp and imine nitrogen realizes excited-state intramolecular proton transfer; therefore, multiemission is observed from the enol and keto states of the COFs and UiO-66 at 360, 470, and 613 nm for UiO@COF1 and at 370, 470, and 572 nm for UiO@COF2. When phosphate ion is added in the composites, the emissions from the COFs keep stable, while that from UiO-66 is enhanced. However, adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) improves the emissions from UiO-66 and COF's enol state, but that from the keto state keeps stable. The differentiation and ratiometric fluorescence detection of ATP and phosphate ion are therefore realized with the multiemission, the affinity of Zr⁴⁺ ions, and the structural selectivity of the COFs. Thus, UiO@COF is a novel strategy to integrate multiemission, affinity, and structural selectivity to improve the sensing performance for differentiation and ratiometric detection.