Orderly Porous Covalent Organic Frameworks-based Materials: Superior Adsorbents for Pollutants Removal from Aqueous Solutions

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a new type of crystalline porous polymers known for chemical stability, excellent structural regularity, robust framework, and inherent porosity, making them promising materials for capturing various types of pollutants from aqueous solutions. This review thoroughly presents the recent progress and advances of COFs and COF-based materials as superior adsorbents for the efficient removal of toxic heavy metal ions, radionuclides, and organic pollutants. Information about the interaction mechanisms between various pollutants and COF-based materials are summarized from the macroscopic and microscopic standpoints, including batch experiments, theoretical calculations, and advanced spectroscopy analysis. The adsorption properties of various COF-based materials are assessed and compared with other widely used adsorbents. Several commonly used strategies to enhance COF-based materials’ adsorption performance and the relationship between structural property and sorption ability are also discussed. Finally, a summary and perspective on the opportunities and challenges of COFs and COF-based materials are proposed to provide some inspiring information on designing and fabricating COFs and COF-based materials for environmental pollution management.