One-Step Synthesis of Cationic Covalent Organic Frameworks

Ionic covalent organic frameworks (iCOFs) have attractive properties that make them suitable for use as ion transport materials, as energy storage media, and for metal sorption. However, the synthetic pathways to prepare iCOFs are limited. Herein, we prepare an iCOF via a single-step reaction. The synthesized materials were isolated as polycrystalline nanowires. The theoretical and experimental data reveal that the synthesized iCOFs are predominately assembled into staggered configurations. The materials exhibit an uptake capacity of 3.5 g·g^-1 for iodine. The ab initio calculations point to the role of bromide counterions, forming I₂Br^- as stable ions within the framework.