Covalent organic frameworks: A molecular platform for designer polymeric architectures and functional materials

Abstract

Covalent organic frameworks comprise a class of polymer which covalently links organic units into well-defined architectures to create ordered structures and offers an irreplaceable platform for designing organic/polymeric materials. In this award account, we trace our paths and show our initiatives to explore this class of molecular frameworks, by establishing design principle and synthetic strategies and developing functions and properties. By elucidating interplays of ordered structures with photons, excitons, electrons, holes, ions and molecules, we scrutinize unique structural features and functions which are specific to the ordered structures. We predict the key fundamental issues to be addressed in future and show the directions from perspectives of chemistry, physics, and materials science.