The
development of chiral covalent organic frameworks (COFs) by
postsynthetic modification is challenging due to the common occurrences
of racemization and crystallinity decrement under harsh modification
conditions. Herein, we employ an effective site-selective synthetic
strategy for the fabrication of an amine-functionalized hydrazone-linked
COF, NH2-Th-Tz COF, by the Schiff-base condensation between
aminoterephthalohydrazide (NH2-Th) and 4,4′,4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tribenzaldehyde
(Tz). The resulting NH2-Th-Tz COF with free amine groups
on the pore walls provides an appealing platform to install desired
chiral moieties through postsynthetic modification. Three chiral moieties
including tartaric acid, camphor-10-sulfonyl chloride, and diacetyl-tartaric
anhydride were postsynthetically integrated into NH2-Th-Tz
COF by reacting amine groups with acid, acyl chloride, and anhydride,
giving rise to a series of chiral COFs with distinctive chiral pore
surfaces. Moreover, the crystallinity, porosity, and chirality of
chiral COFs were retained after modification. Remarkably, the chiral
COFs exhibited an exceptional enantioselective adsorption capability
toward tyrosine with a maximum enantiomeric excess (ee) value of up
to 25.20%. Molecular docking simulations along with experimental results
underscored the pivotal role of hydrogen bonds between chiral COFs
and tyrosine in enantioselective adsorption. This work highlights
the potential of site-selective synthesis as an effective tool for
the preparation of highly crystalline and robust amine-decorated COFs,
which offer an auspicious platform for the facile synthesis of tailor-made
chiral COFs for enantioselective adsorption and beyond.