We report the synthesis of covalent organic framework (COF) crystals with organic Lewis acid instead of the conventional use of Brønsted acid or inorganic Lewis acid. Specifically, tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane was applied for the growth of seven imine COFs: TAPB-PDA-, TAPB-2,5-DMTA-, TAPB-2,3-DMTA-, TAPT-PDA-, TAPT-2,5-DMTA-, TAPT-2,3-DMTA-COF with hcb topology and varied in functional groups, as well as a new one, COF-820, with sql topology. All these COFs were obtained at room temperature. Their high crystallinity and porosity demonstrate the versatility of the organic Lewis acid as a catalyst. Bulky organic Lewis acid was found critical for the production of COF-820, while its absence resulted in the formation of a different COF, 4PE-1P-COF, with kgm topology using the same building blocks. Such steric effect, typical for organic catalysts, provides a new way to regulate the topology of COFs and their future design.

我们报告了用有机路易斯酸合成共价有机骨架 (COF) 晶体，而不是常规使用布朗斯台德酸或无机路易斯酸。具体来说，三（五氟苯基）硼烷用于生长七种亚胺 COF：TAPB-PDA-、TAPB-2,5-DMTA-、TAPB-2,3-DMTA-、TAPT-PDA-、TAPT-2,5 -DMTA-, TAPT-2,3-DMTA-COF，具有hcb拓扑结构，功能组不同，还有一种新的，COF-820，具有sql拓扑结构。所有这些 COF 都是在室温下获得的。它们的高结晶度和孔隙率证明了有机路易斯酸作为催化剂的多功能性。大量有机路易斯酸被发现对 COF-820 的生产至关重要，而它的缺失导致形成不同的 COF，4PE-1P-COF，kgm拓扑使用相同的构建块。这种空间效应是有机催化剂的典型特征，为调节 COF 的拓扑结构及其未来设计提供了一种新方法。