Targeted synthesis of visible-light-driven covalent organic framework photocatalyst via molecular design and precise construction

Given the structural diversity and tailorability, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were regarded as an appealing platform for the molecular design of organic semiconductors. The band structure and physicochemical properties can be easily tuned by tailoring the building blocks. Here we synthesized a series of imine-linked COFs from the same aldehyde and three different monomers of nitrogen-containing functional groups, and investigated the translation of chemical and structural variation in the precursors to photoelectric properties of the resulting COFs, with the consequent influence on photocatalytic degradation. We found that the visible-light photocatalytic performances were enhanced with increasing density of active centers and conjugation degree in the networks, which provide a forceful basis for the systematic fine-tuning of their structural and physicochemical properties thus broadening the applications of COFs in photocatalysis.