Metal/Covalent Organic Frameworks and Their Derivatives for Electrochemical Energy Applications

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Background

Progress in the fields of synthetic chemistry and nanotechnology has produced new distinct classes of crystalline porous solids that can be engineered with precision even at the molecular level, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Their most intriguing trait is their precise integration of building blocks into periodic structures, endowing them with high flexibility in the design of skeletons and pores. Therefore, they have emerged as a powerful platform for designing high-performance materials that are promising for addressing various energy and environmental issues. The past decade has witnessed an explosive growth in the discovery and flourishing of MOFs/COFs, and explored the potential applications of MOFs/COFs and their derivatives in different electrochemical energy fields.

In the past few years, studies of MOFs and COFs have become a rapidly developing research area and attracted broad research interest in a vast range of applications, especially in the electrochemical energy fields, including energy storage devices (i.e., rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, etc.) and various electrocatalytic energy chemistries (i.e., hydrogen/oxygen reduction/evolution reactions, CO2/N2 reduction reactions, etc.). However, the underlying mechanisms associated with the synthetic chemistry of MOFs/COFs still remain ambiguous. In addition, their cycling stability and conductivity issues during electrochemical processes need to be further explored. Moreover, there is still plenty of room for developing new materials for electrochemical energy applications by converting MOFs/COFs into porous carbons, nanostructured metal oxides/chalcogenides/nitrides/carbides/phosphides, and their nanocomposites. We believe that a combination of experiments and theories will not only advance the development of MOFs/COFs and their derivatives, but also enrich our understanding of the intrinsic relationship between their material structure and electrochemical performance.

The aim of this Research Topic is to cover promising, recent, and novel research trends in the synthesis of MOFs/COFs and their derivatives, using MOFs/COFs as templates/precursors and further extending their applications to the electrochemical energy communities. Submissions to this Research Topic may cover themes including, but not limited, to:

 •The precise design, synthesis and characterization of novel MOFs/COFs structures at a molecular level
 •Elaborate fabrication of functional materials derived from MOFs/COFs, such as porous carbon frameworks, nanostructured metal oxides/chalcogenides/nitrides/carbides/phosphides and their nanocomposites, and/or single-atom electrocatalysts
 •Exploration of MOFs/COFs and their derivatives for energy storage systems, such as supercapacitors, rechargeable Li+/Na+/K+/Mg2+/Zn2+ ion batteries, Li-S batteries, and metal-air batteries
 •Exploration of MOFs/COFs and their derivatives for electrocatalysis, such as hydrogen reduction/evolution reactions, oxygen reduction/evolution reactions, and CO2/N2 reduction reactions

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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