Single-crystal x-ray diffraction structures of covalent organic frameworks

Abstract

Covalent organic frameworks writ large Covalent organic framework (COF) materials have been difficult to characterize structurally and to exploit because they tend to form powders or amorphous materials. Ma et al. studied a variety of three-dimensional COFs based on imine linkages (see the Perspective by Navarro). They found that the addition of aniline inhibited nucleation and allowed the growth of crystals large enough for single-crystal x-ray diffraction studies. Evans et al. describe a two-step process in which nanoscale seeds of boronate ester–linked two-dimensional COFs can be grown into micrometer-scale single crystals by using a solvent that suppresses the nucleation of additional nanoparticles. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed superior charge transport in these crystallites compared with that observed in conventional powders. Science , this issue p. 48 , p. 52 ; see also p. 35

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of California, Berkeley US
• King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology SA
• Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences CN
• Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute US
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory US
• Bristol-Myers Squibb (United States) US
• Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering Tianjin CN
• Peking University CN
• Lanzhou University CN

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