Superprotonic conductivity of ketoenamine covalent-organic frameworks grafted by imidazole-based units

The achievement of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high stability and exceptional proton conductivity is of tremendous practical importance and challenge. Given this, we hope to prepare the highly stable COFs carrying CN connectors and enhance their proton conductivity via a post-modification approach. Herein, one COF, TpTta, was successfully synthesized by employing 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp) and 4,4′,4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)-trianiline (Tta) as starting materials, which has a β-ketoenamine structure bearing a large amount of –NH groups and intramolecular H-bonds. TpTta was then post-modified by inserting imidazole (Im) and histamine (His) molecules, yielding the corresponding COFs, Im@TpTta and His@TpTta, respectively. As a result, their proton conductivities were surveyed under changeable temperatures (30–100 °C) and relative humidities (68 %–98 %), revealing a degree of temperature and humidity dependence. Impressively, under identical conditions, the optimum proton conductivities of the two post-modified COFs are 1.14 × 10−2 (Im@TpTta) and 3.45 × 10−3 S/cm (His@TpTta), which are significantly greater than that of the pristine COF, TpTta (2.57 × 10−5 S/cm). Finally, their proton conduction mechanisms were hypothesized based on the computed activation energy values, water vapor adsorption values, and structural properties of these COFs. Additionally, the excellent electrochemical stability of the produced COFs was expressed, as well as the prospective application value.