Chiral
covalent organic frameworks (CCOFs) have attracted extensive
interest for their potential applications in various enantioselective
processes. However, the exploitation of chirality-induced spin selectivity
(CISS) that enables a new technology for the injection of spin polarized
current without the need for a permanent magnetic layer within CCOFs
remains a largely untapped area of research. Here, we demonstrate
that, for the first time, COFs can be an attractive platform to develop
spin filter materials with efficient CISS. This facilitates the design
and synthesis of a new family of Zn(salen)-based 2D CCOFs, namely,
CCOFs-9–12, by imine condensation of chiral 1,2-diaminocyclohexane
and tri- or tetra(salicylaldehyde) derivatives. CCOF-9, distinguished
by its unique C
2 symmetric “armchair”
tetrasubstituted pyrene conformation, exhibits the most pronounced
chirality among these materials and serves as a solid-state host,
enabling the enantioselective adsorption of racemic drugs with an
enantiomeric excess (ee) of up to 97%. After substituting diamagnetic
zinc(II) ions for paramagnetic cobalt(II), the resulting CCOF-9-Co
not only retains its high crystallinity, porosity, and exceptional
chirality but also exhibits enhanced conductivity, a crucial factor
for the effective observation of CISS. Magnetic conductive atomic
force microscopy showed that CCOF-9-Co exhibited a remarkable CISS
effect with up to an 88–94% spin polarization ratio. This phenomenon
is further confirmed by the increased intensity in the magnetic circular
dichroism (MCD) when CCOF-9-Co is under an external magnetic field.
This work therefore shows the tremendous potential of CCOFs for controlling
spin selectivity and will stimulate the creation of new types of crystalline
polymers with strong CISS effects for spin filters.