Covalent organic frameworks: Advances in synthesis and applications

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a new class of porous materials. In COFs, the basic rigid molecular building blocks are linked through strong covalent bonds to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional porous frameworks. COFs are an exciting class of nano-porous materials due to their structural diversity, exceptionally high porosity, and desired tailored chemical structural features. Due to the distinct characteristics of the COFs, they are currently being explored in a wide range of applications such as water decontamination, energy, gas storage, separation, adsorption, and sensing. This review discussed significant advances in the reticular synthesis of COFs and applications in various fields. Finally, the article concludes by discussing the key challenges and future directions of the COFs based materials.