Recent Progress of Covalent Organic Frameworks-Based Materials Used for CO₂ Electrocatalytic Reduction: A Review

The excessive CO₂ emissions from human activities severely impact the natural environment and ecosystems. Among the various technologies available, electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction is regarded as one of the most promising routes due to its exceptional environmental friendliness and sustainability. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are crystalline, porous organic networks that are formed through thermodynamically controlled reversible covalent polymerization of organic linkers via covalent bonding. These materials exhibit high porosity, large surface area, excellent chemical and thermal stability, sustainability, high electron transfer efficiency, and surface functionalization capabilities, making them particularly effective in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction. First, this review briefly introduces the fundamental principles of electrocatalysis and the mechanism of electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Next, it discusses the composition, structure, and synthesis methods of COF-based materials, as well as their applications in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Furthermore, it reviews the research progress in this field from the perspective of different types of COF-based catalysts. Finally, in light of the current research status, the development prospects of COF-based catalysts are explored, providing a reference for the development of more efficient and stable COF electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction.