Rapid synthesis of aminal-linked covalent organic frameworks for CO₂/CH₄ separation

As an emerging category of crystalline porous materials, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are primarily synthesized via solvothermal methods. However, achieving rapid synthesis of COFs through this approach poses a significant challenge. To address the issue of slow synthesis, we studied the crystallization process of aminal-linked COFs via the condensation of a cost-effective aldehyde and secondary amine, and successfully expedited the synthesis of COFs within a one-hour duration. Furthermore, gram-scale aminal-linked COFs with abundant ultra-microporous channels demonstrated promising potential for CO₂/CH₄ separation. This study enables the rapid synthesis of aminal-linked COFs from cheap raw materials, which lays a foundation for their practical applications.