A highly photosensitive covalent organic framework with pyrene skeleton as metal-free catalyst for arylboronic acid hydroxylation

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been widely utilized in metal-free photocatalytic synthesis base on their excellent properties such as super conjugation, porosity and stability. In this work, we synthesized a new COF material using 1,3,6,8-Tetrakis (p-formylphenyl)pyrene (TFPPy) and 2,2′-Dimethylbenzidine (DMBZ) as basic units through Schiff base condensation reaction. The new COF (TF-DM COF) was applied as metal-free catalyst for hydroxylation of arylboronic acids. The results indicated that the extended π conjugation of COFs enhanced the absorption of visible light, and the large porosity (BET surface area: 113.782 m2g−1) accelerated the reaction rate. Good recyclability enables it with multiple applications, which result in a great reducing of the cost. This study reports that TF-DM COF has a broad application prospect as a new generation of metal-free photocatalysts for organic conversions.