Imine-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been extensively studied in photocatalysis because of their easy synthesis and excellent crystallinity. The effect of imine-bond orientation on the photocatalytic properties of COFs, however, is still rarely studied. Herein, we report two novel COFs with different orientations of imine bonds using oligo(phenylenevinylene) moieties. The COFs showed similar structures but great differences in their photoelectric properties. COF-932 demonstrated a superior hydrogen evolution performance compared to COF-923 when triethanolamine was used as the sacrificial agent. Interestingly, the use of ascorbic acid led to the protonation of the COFs, further altering the direction of electron transfer. The photocatalytic performances were increased to 23.4 and 0.73 mmol g À 1 h À 1 for protonated COF-923 and COF-932, respectively. This study provides a clear strategy for the design of imine-linked COF-based photocatalysts and advances the development of COFs.Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), first realized in 2005, [1] are a new class of porous crystal framework materials composed of light elements (C, H, O, N) with twodimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) network structures. [2] COFs have attracted great attention due to their high stability, low cost, large specific surface area, permanent porosity and open pore structure, and have shown great application prospects in various applications, such as gas adsorption/separation, [3] energy storage, [4] and catalysis. [5] In particular, the framework itself can be used as the best platform to study the structure-activity relationship because of its controllable structure, high crystallinity and regularity. [6] Several interesting studies have been published recently regarding the isomerism of covalent organic frameworks, since the study of property changes caused by

Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) have been of great interest due to their inherent numerous open sites and pore confinement effect. However, it has remained challenging to build 3D frameworks via inter­digitation (also known as inclined inter­penetration) by generating an entangled network formed by multiple 2D layers inclined with respect to each other. Herein, we report the first case of constructing a 3D COF, termed COF-904, through inter­digitating 2D hcb nets, which was formed via [3+2] imine condensation reactions by the use of 1,3,5-triformyl­benzene and 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-phenylene­diamine. The single-crystal structure of COF-904 is solved, and the locations of all non-hydrogen atoms are determined by 3D electron diffraction with a resolution up to 0.8 Å. These results not only broaden the strategy for achieving 3D COFs via inter­digitation but also demonstrate that structurally complex extended frameworks can arise from simple molecules.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have gained significant attention as key photocatalysts for efficient solar light conversion into hydrogen production. Unfortunately, the harsh synthetic conditions and intricate growth process required to obtain highly crystalline COFs greatly hinder their practical application. Herein, we report a simple strategy for the efficient crystallization of 2D COFs based on the intermediate formation of hexagonal macrocycles. Mechanistic investigation suggests that the use of 2,4,6-triformyl resorcinol (TFR) as the asymmetrical aldehyde build block allows the equilibration between irreversible enol-to-keto tautomerization and dynamic imine bonds to produce the hexagonal β-ketoenamine-linked macrocycles, the formation of which could provide COFs with high crystallinity in half hour. We show that COF-935 with 3 wt % Pt as cocatalyst exhibit a high hydrogen evolution rate of 67.55 mmol g À 1 h À 1 for water splitting when exposed to visible light. More importantly, COF-935 exhibits an average hydrogen evolution rate of 19.80 mmol g À 1 h À 1 even at a low loading of only 0.1 wt % Pt, which is a significant breakthrough in this field. This strategy would provide valuable insights into the design of highly crystalline COFs as efficient organic semiconductor photocatalysts.

Photocatalysis is considered to be one of the most effective methods to solve the global energy problem. Therefore, it is essential to clarify the principles of the design and synthesis...

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have gained significant attention as key photocatalysts for efficient solar light conversion into hydrogen production. Unfortunately, the harsh synthetic conditions and intricate growth process required to obtain highly crystalline COFs greatly hinder their practical application. Herein, we report a simple strategy for the efficient crystallization of 2D COFs based on the intermediate formation of hexagonal macrocycles. Mechanistic investigation suggests that the use of 2,4,6-triformyl resorcinol (TFR) as the asymmetrical aldehyde build block allows the equilibration between irreversible enol-to-keto tautomerization and dynamic imine bonds to produce the hexagonal β-ketoenamine-linked macrocycles, the formation of which could provide COFs with high crystallinity in half hour. We show that COF-935 with 3 wt % Pt as cocatalyst exhibit a high hydrogen evolution rate of 67.55 mmol g À 1 h À 1 for water splitting when exposed to visible light. More importantly, COF-935 exhibits an average hydrogen evolution rate of 19.80 mmol g À 1 h À 1 even at a low loading of only 0.1 wt % Pt, which is a significant breakthrough in this field. This strategy would provide valuable insights into the design of highly crystalline COFs as efficient organic semiconductor photocatalysts.