Covalent Organic Frameworks as Emerging Battery Materials

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are emerging as promising energy storage materials due to their unique characteristics, such as adjustable thickness, designable topology, superior stability and controllable pore size distribution. Consequently, COFs can provide diversified high-rate carrier transport pathways, and the performance of COFs can be easily improved by adjusting conjugated skeleton types, overlapping p-electron clouds between stacks, and modifying open channels with functional groups. The state-of-the-art COFs electrode materials based on synthetic method and electrochemical performance in recent years are summarized and discussed in this review. The synthesis method, topological structure and application in metal ion (such as Li+, Na+, K+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Al3+, et. al) batteries of COFs electrodes are critically accounted. Finally, we briefly discuss the major challenges in the field that needs to be addressed to pave the way for industrial applications. Although there are still many arduous tasks to be tackled, the burgeoning of COFs-related technologies and applications in batteries provide a ponderable field for commercial process in the short run.