Layered 2D conjugated polymers in square lattice

Tackling 21st-century crises in food, health, climate and pollution requires advanced semiconductor materials for sensing and clean energy technologies. While linear conjugated polymers have contributed significantly, their limited interchain charge hopping results in suboptimal device performance. In contrast, crystalline layered two-dimensional (2D) conjugated polymers—such as 2D conjugated covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—enable extended in-plane π-conjugation and interlayer electronic coupling, offering improved charge transport. These materials also provide high surface area, tunable porosity, and adjustable active sites, making them highly attractive for electronic and energy-related applications. However, key challenges persist, including low charge carrier mobility, limited control over electronic properties, and difficulty in integrating multiple functions. Notably, most reported 2D conjugated polymers adopt honeycomb lattices, which suffer from inefficient cross-π conjugation, leading to low charge mobility. My research introduces a novel class of square-lattice 2D conjugated polymers with charge carrier mobilities surpassing those of previously reported systems. It elucidates the underlying charge transport mechanisms and demonstrates outstanding performance across a range of applications, including electro/photocatalysis, electrochemical energy storage, and chemiresistive sensing.

References

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