Rapid aerosol-phase synthesis of covalent organic framework coatings

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a growing family of crystalline, porous polymers with applications in gas storage, catalysis, sensing, and energy storage. Traditional COF synthesis methods face challenges with reaction time, energy consumption, and scalability. To address this, we developed a novel programmable reactor that combines reagent microdroplets in the aerosol phase to obtain partially-formed COF intermediates which are deposited on a surface, followed by heating to achieve highly crystalline COF coatings. This method not only accelerates COF synthesis but also provides direct access to COF-coated surfaces without requiring additional processing steps.