Covalent Organic Frameworks as Emerging Platforms for CO2 Photoreduction

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of porous crystalline materials consisting of purely organic linking units stitched by strong covalent bonds to form extended frameworks with various networks and pore structures. Because of the highly stacking layers, COFs adopt semiconductive properties and exhibit promising catalytic performance in CO2 photoreduction. In this Perspective, we would like to cast some light on the CO2 photoreduction catalyzed by COFs—emerging advanced photocatalytic platforms. Especially, we direct our discussion to linkages in COFs, principles of structural designs, and our viewpoints on the most recent advancements of using COFs (mainly two-dimensional structures) for CO2 photoreduction. This manuscript, therefore, acts as an informative reference for designing COFs, but not limited to any kinds of hybrid crystalline materials, suited to the photoreduction of CO2.