Surface-Mediated Construction of an Ultrathin Free-Standing Covalent Organic Framework Membrane for Efficient Proton...

As a new class of crystalline porous organic materials, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted considerable attention for proton conduction owing to their regular channels and tailored functionality. However, most COFs are insoluble and unprocessable, which makes membrane preparation for practical use a challenge. In this study, we used surface-initiated condensation polymerization of a trialdehyde and a phenylenediamine for the synthesis of sulfonic COF (SCOF) coatings. The COF layer thickness could be finely tuned from 10 to 100 nm by controlling the polymerization time. Moreover, free-standing COF membranes were obtained by sacrificing the bridging layer without any decomposition of the COF structure. Benefiting from the abundant sulfonic acid groups in the COF channels, the proton conductivity of the SCOF membrane reached 0.54 S cm^-1 at 80 °C in pure water. To our knowledge, this is one of the highest values for a pristine COF membrane in the absence of additional additives.