Engineering Covalent Organic Frameworks as Heterogeneous Photocatalysts for Organic Transformations

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging category of organic polymers with highly porous crystalline structures. In the last decade, reports on the use of COFs as heterogeneous photocatalysts for organic transformations have shown significant progress. Still, comprehensive reviews on the mechanisms of the photocatalytic organic transformations using COFs are lacking. This Review provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of COF-based photocatalysts for organic transformations. Firstly, we discuss the photophysical properties and the characterization methods of COF-based photocatalysts. Then, the general photocatalytic mechanism, the advantages, and the strategies to improve the photocatalytic efficiency of COF-based photocatalysts are summarized. After that, advanced examples of COF-based photocatalysts for organic transformations are analyzed with regard to the underlying mechanisms. The Review ends with a critical perspective on the challenges and prospects.

Automated summary

This Review provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the application of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as photocatalysts for organic transformations. It covers the photophysical properties, characterization methods, general photocatalytic mechanism, advantages, and strategies to improve the efficiency of COF-based photocatalysts. It also analyzes advanced examples and discusses the challenges and prospects in the field.