Covalent organic frameworks for solar- and electricity-driven biomass valorization

Driven by escalating global energy demands and ecological imperatives, the upgrading of biomass into premium chemicals and renewable fuels via solar- or electricity-driven pathways represents a cornerstone strategy for achieving carbon neutrality and advancing green chemistry. Owing to their well-defined porosity, tunable architectures, and versatile functionalization, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted increasing attention as advanced catalytic platforms for energy-related applications. Notably, this work provides the first comprehensive and systematic evaluation of COFs in both photo- and electrocatalytic biomass valorization. We begin with a rigorous overview of the essential physicochemical attributes of COFs alongside their corresponding modification strategies. Building upon this foundation, this review systematically highlights the latest milestones in utilizing these functional materials for solar- and electricity-driven biomass upgrading. Special emphasis is placed on establishing the fundamental structure-function correlations that govern the transformation of key biomass platform molecules, thereby offering an integrated framework to elucidate catalytic origins and guide rational material design. Concurrently, the critical bottlenecks obstructing the practical deployment of COFs in this domain are dissected, accompanied by a rigorous assessment of current achievements and systemic limitations. Ultimately, we propose a strategic development roadmap and clear design principles to steer the future evolution of next-generation COFs toward highly efficient biomass transformation.