Recent progress in COF-based electrode materials for rechargeable metal-ion batteries

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising electrode materials for rechargeable metal-ion batteries and have gained much attention in recent years due to their high specific surface area, inherent porosity, tunable molecular structure, robust framework, and abundant active sites. Moreover, compared with inorganic materials and small organic molecules, COFs have the advantages of multi-electron transfer, short pathways, and high cycling stability. Although great progress on COF-based electrodes has been made, the corresponding electrochemical performance is still far from satisfactory for practical applications. In this review, we first summarize the fundamental background of COFs, including the species of COFs (different active covalent bonds) and typical synthesis methods of COFs. Then, the key challenges and the latest research progress of COF-based cathodes and anodes for metal-ion batteries are reviewed, including Li-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries, K-ion batteries, Zn-ion batteries, et al. Moreover, the effective strategies to enhance electrochemical performance of COF-based electrodes are presented. Finally, this review also covers the typical superiorities of COFs used in energy devices, as well as providing some perspectives and outlooks in this field. We hope this review can provide fundamental guidance for the development of COF-based electrodes for metal-ion batteries in the further research.