Preparation of a Hydrophobic Fluorine‐Containing Covalent Organic Framework and Its Interfacial Applications

Abstract Hydrophobic porous materials are of significant interest due to their potential for various large‐scale industrial applications. In this study, we introduce the synthesis of a hydrophobic fluorine‐containing covalent organic framework (F‐COF), TAPB‐TFA, using a low‐temperature method, along with its applications in liquid marbles and oil/water separation. By a scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate‐catalyzed Schiff‐base reaction, uniform spherical TAPB‐TFA particles at the nanoscale are successfully synthesized. Results show that TAPB‐TFA exhibits high crystallinity, excellent thermal and chemical stability, as well as superoleophilic/hydrophobic properties. The hydrophobic TAPB‐TFA particles can be utilized to create various liquid marbles that exhibit excellent shape reconfigurability. Experiments confirm the outstanding performance of TAPB‐TFA in separating oil/water mixtures and water‐in‐oil emulsions, achieving a separation efficiency of over 98.5%. The analysis concludes that the exceptional separation performance of TAPB‐TFA is attributed to the synergistic effects of surface wetting‐induced aggregation and size‐sieving. TAPB‐TFA demonstrates significant potential for applications in the environmental and energy sectors.