Rational Synthesis of Photocatalytic Acridinium-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks via Single-Atom Skeletal Editing
Yimin Pan1, Yifan Dong1, Zhenze Yang1
1Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710054, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|September 23, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a new method using skeletal editing to create stable acridinium-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs). This irreversible reaction yields functional COFs effective as metal-free photocatalysts for organic synthesis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Chemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Developing covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with tailored functions and stability is crucial.
- Conventional dynamic covalent chemistry methods have limitations for creating advanced COFs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel single-atom skeletal editing approach for synthesizing acridinium-based COFs.
- To demonstrate the utility of irreversible Katritzky-type reactions in COF construction.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a single-atom oxygen-to-nitrogen replacement strategy.
- Transformed xanthylium precursors with specific aromatic amines (TAPB or TADB) into acridinium-linked COFs (Acr-TAPB, Acr-TADB).
Main Results:
- Synthesized highly crystalline and stable acridinium-based COFs (Acr-TAPB and Acr-TADB).
- The resulting COFs possess strong redox capabilities and efficient charge separation.
- Acr-TADB demonstrated high efficacy as a metal-free photocatalyst for key organic reactions, supporting large-scale synthesis.
Conclusions:
- Skeletal editing is a powerful strategy for designing functionalized COF architectures.
- Acridinium-based COFs offer robust stability and catalytic activity for advanced applications.
- This method enables the creation of novel COFs beyond traditional dynamic covalent chemistry approaches.
