A Versatile Protocol for Functionalization of Covalent Organic Frameworks via Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling

Post-synthetic modification (PSM) is a prevalent and powerful strategy to introduce desired functionalities into covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for functional products, expediting their applications vastly. Herein, we demonstrate a PSM strategy for functionalizing brominated COFs via the well-developed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. By this protocol, a variety of functionalities were installed into COFs efficiently, while the crystallinity and porosity of COFs retained well. As a proof-of-concept, BrCOF-2 was modified with trifluoromethyl groups to produce a SF₆ adsorbent with remarkably enhanced properties. This facile and versatile approach opens a new door for the synthesis of functional COFs, and greatly expands the scope of their structural design aiming for various properties and applications.