Covalent organic frameworks

The dream to prepare well-defined materials drives the methodological evolution for molecular synthesis, structural control and manufacturing. Among various methods, chemical approaches design, synthesize, engineer small molecules, polymers networks offer fundamental strategies. Merging covalent bonds non-covalent interactions into one method establish a complex composition specific functions, mimicking biological systems such as DNA, RNA proteins, is at centre of chemistry science. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are class crystalline porous that enable integration units highly ordered structures via polymerization. This polymerization system unique it deploys construct primary order polymeric backbones polycondensation leverages on create high supramolecular in one-pot reaction system. Primer covers all aspects field COFs from physics, applications, outlines design principle, experimental characterization with an aim show concise yet full picture field. key issues be addressed analysed outlook future major directions different perspectives. consisting formed by In this Primer, Tan et al. discuss applications COFs.