Editing Light Emission with Stable Crystalline Covalent Organic Frameworks via Wall Surface Perturbation

The ordered π skeletons of covalent organic frameworks make them viable light-emitting materials but their limited tunability has precluded further implementation. Here we report the synthesis of hydrazone-linked frameworks which are stable in water, acid, and base, and demonstrate their utility as a platform for light emission. The polygonal backbone is designed to be luminescent and partially π conjugated while the pore wall is docked with single atom or unit to induce resonance, hyperconjugation, and tautomerization effects. These effects can be transmitted to the backbone, so that the framework can emit three primary colors of light. The wall can be perturbated with multiple surface sites, rendering the material able to edit diverse emission colors in a predesignable and digital way. The systems show high activity, stability, tunability, and sensibility: a set of features attractive for light-emitting and sensing applications.