Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted growing interest by virtue of their structural diversity and tunability. Herein, we present a novel approach for the development of organic rechargeable battery cathodes in which three distinct redox-active COFs were successfully prepared and delaminated into 2D few-layer nanosheets. Compared with the pristine COFs, the exfoliated COFs with shorter Li diffusion pathways allow a significant higher utilization efficiency of redox sites and faster kinetics for lithium storage. Unlike diffusion-controlled manners in the bulk COFs, the redox reactions in ECOFs are mainly dominated by charge transfer process. The capacity and potential are further engineered by reticular design of COFs without altering the underlying topology. Specifically, DAAQ-ECOF exhibits excellent rechargeability (98% capacity retention after 1800 cycles) and fast charge-discharge ability (74% retention at 500 mA g as compared to at 20 mA g). DABQ-ECOF shows a specific capacity of 210 mA h g and a voltage plateau of 2.8 V.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), by virtue of their remarkable uptake capability, selectivity, and ease of regeneration, hold great promise for carbon capture from fossil fuel combustion. However, their stability toward moisture together with the competitive adsorption of water against CO2 drastically dampens their capacity and selectivity under real humid flue gas conditions. In this work, an effective strategy was developed to tackle the above obstacles by partitioning the channels of MOFs into confined, hydrophobic compartments by in situ polymerization of aromatic acetylenes. Specifically, polynaphthylene was formed via a radical reaction inside the channels of MOF-5 and served as partitions without altering the underlying structure of the framework. Compared with pristine MOF-5, the resultant material (PN@MOF-5) exhibits a doubled CO2 capacity (78 vs 38 cm(3)/g at 273 K and 1 bar), 23 times higher CO2/N2 selectivity (212 vs 9), and significantly improved moisture stability. The dynamic CO2 adsorption capacity can be largely maintained (>90%) under humid conditions during cycles. This strategy can be applied to other MOF materials and may shed light on the design of new MOF-polymer materials with tunable pore sizes and environments to promote their practical applications.

A powerful yet safe primary explosive, embedded in a conductive carbon scaffold, is prepared by using a metal-organic framework as precursor. It simultaneously possesses low electrostatic sensitivity, good flame sensitivity, and excellent initiation ability. This method is simple, scalable, and provides a new platform for the development of energetic materials especially those employed in miniaturized explosive systems.

An overview of the current status of coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) pertaining to the field of energetic materials is provided. The explosive applications of MOFs are discussed from two aspects: one for detection of explosives, and the other for explosive desensitization. By virtue of their adjustable pore/cage sizes, high surface area, tunable functional sites, and rich host-guest chemistry, MOFs have emerged as promising candidates for both explosive sensing and desensitization. The challenges and perspectives in these two areas are thoroughly discussed, and the processing methods for practical applications are also discussed briefly.

Research on green primary explosives with lead-free and excellent ignition performance is of significance for practical applications. In this work, we have developed a novel, green, and facile strategy for synthesizing copper azide@porous carbon hybrids (CA@PC) based on ionic cross-linked hydrogel with low-cost cellulose derivatives as the starting material, in which the CA nanoparticles are uniformly distributed in the porous carbon skeletons. The detailed characterizations and control experiments demonstrated that such an outstanding performance originates from the excellent electric conductivity of nanoscale carbon cages. With the favorable unique structures, the as-prepared hybrids can greatly benefit a new type of energetic materials, which exhibit a very low electrostatic sensitivity of 1.06 mJ. Interestingly, the hybrids possess a high ignition ability, and the flame sensitivity can even achieve 47 cm, superior to those well-developed CA-based materials reported previously. This work paves the way toward the design and development of next-generation highly efficient energetic materials.