2D Covalent Organic Frameworks Based on Heteroacene Units

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a unique new class of porous materials that arrange building units into periodic ordered frameworks through strong covalent bonds. Accompanied with structural rigidity and well-defined geometry, heteroacene-based COFs have natural advantages in constructing COFs with high stability and crystallinity. Heteroacene-based COFs usually have high physical and chemical properties, and their extended π-conjugation also leads to relatively low energy gap, effectively promoting π-electron delocalization between network units. Owing to excellent electron-withdrawing or -donating ability, heteroacene units have incomparable advantages in the preparation of donor-acceptor type COFs. Therefore, the physicochemical robust and fully conjugated heteroacene-based COFs solve the problem of traditional COFs lacking π-π interaction and chemical stability. In recent years, significant breakthroughs are made in this field, the choice of various linking modes and building blocks has fundamentally ensured the final applications of COFs. It is of great significance to summarize the heteroacene-based COFs for improving its complexity and controllability. This review first introduces the linkages in heteroacene-based COFs, including reversible and irreversible linkages. Subsequently, some representative building blocks are summarized, and their related applications are especially emphasized. Finally, conclusion and perspectives for future research on heteroacene-based COFs are presented.