Covalent Organic Frameworks for Electrochemical Sensors: Recent Research and Future Prospects

Background: In recent years, electrochemical sensors are widely preferred because of their high sensitivity, rapid response, low cost and easy miniaturization. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a porous crystalline polymer formed by organic units connected by covalent bonds, have been widely used in gas adsorption and separation, drug transportation, energy storage, photoelectric catalysis, electrochemistry and other aspects due to their large specific surface, excellent stability, high inherent porosity, good crystallinity as well as structural and functional controllability. The topological structure of COFs can be designed in advance, the structural units and linkage are diversified, and the structure is easy to be functionalized, which are all beneficial to their application in electrochemical sensors. Methods: The types, synthesis methods, properties of covalent organic frameworks and some examples of using covalent organic frameworks in electrochemical sensors are reviewed. Results: Due to their characteristics of a large specific surface, high porosity, orderly channel and periodically arranged π electron cloud, COFs are often used to immobilize metal nanoparticles, aptamers or other materials to achieve the purpose of building electrochemical sensors with high sensitivity and good stability. Since the structure of COFs can be predicted, different organic units can build COFs with different structures and properties. Therefore, organic units with certain functional groups can be selected to build COFs with certain properties and used directly for electrochemical sensors. Conclusion: COFs have a good application prospect in electrochemical sensors.