Hydrogen-bonding and π-π interaction promoted solution-processable covalent organic frameworks.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38081805.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-43905-9 and PMC identifier 10713689.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Covalent organic frameworks show great potential in gas adsorption/separation, biomedicine, device, sensing, and printing arenas. However, covalent organic frameworks are generally not dispersible in common solvents resulting in the poor processability, which severely obstruct their application in practice. In this study, we develop a convenient top-down process for fabricating solution-processable covalent organic frameworks by introducing intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions from ionic liquids. The bulk powders of imine-linked, azine-linked, and β-ketoenamine linked covalent organic frameworks can be dispersed homogeneously in optimal ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bromide after heat treatment. The resulting high-concentration colloids are utilized to create the covalent organic framework inks that can be directly printed onto the surface. Molecular dynamics simulations and the quantum mechanical calculations suggest that C‒H···π and π-π interaction between ionic liquid cations and covalent organic frameworks may promote the formation of colloidal solution. These findings offer a roadmap for preparing solution-processable covalent organic frameworks, enabling their practical applications.