Recent advances in COF-derived carbon materials: Synthesis, properties, and applications

Functional porous carbon materials are at the forefront of current research due to their exceptional properties, making them highly sought after for various applications, including energy storage/conversion, sensing, adsorption, and catalysis. One crucial factor in producing carbon materials with specific uses and optimized functions is the selection of appropriate carbon precursors. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as game-changing precursors due to their adaptable molecular design and adjustable structures. As a result, they exhibit tremendous potential for the development of advanced carbon materials. In recent years, there has been remarkable progress in COF-derived carbon materials, and we try to comprehensively cover COF-derived carbon materials from their synthetic methods to specific applications. Focusing on the relationship between structure and properties in COF-derived carbon materials, mechanism during carbonization, morphology control strategies, and properties modulation approaches are highlighted, followed by their representative applications in the last 10 years. Moreover, despite the significant advances achieved to date, COF-derived carbon materials still suffer from some limitations. Thus, proposals on how to improve COF-derived carbon materials’ performance are also discussed, as well as future challenges and perspectives, aiming to provide concise yet informative guidelines for choosing suitable carbon materials for particular applications.