Photoactive Thiophene‐Enriched Tetrathienonaphthalene‐Based Covalent Organic Frameworks

Journal article

The optoelectronic properties of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) can be controlled by the design of their molecular building blocks and assembly. Here, a facile and efficient synthetic route is reported for the novel thiophene‐enriched tetrathienonaphthalene (TTN)‐based node 4,4′,4″,4′″‐(naphtho[1,2‐b:4,3‐b′:5,6‐b″:8,7‐b″′]tetrathiophene‐2,5,8,11‐tetrayl)tetraaniline (TTNTA) for constructing imine‐linked COFs. Utilizing TTNTA, highly crystalline, thiophene‐enriched donor–donor (D–D) and donor–acceptor (D–A) COFs, denoted as TT COF and BDT(BT)2 COF, are synthesized using two distinct aldehyde‐functionalized linear linkers: [2,2′‐bithiophene]‐5,5′‐dicarbaldehyde (TT) and 7,7′‐(4,8‐diethoxybenzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl)bis(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole‐4‐carbaldehyde) (BDT(BT)2), respectively. Highly crystalline and oriented TTNTA COF films on various substrates via a solvothermal method enabled further comprehensive optical and electronic characterizations. Optical‐pump terahertz‐probe spectroscopy revealed effective charge‐carrier mobility values φμ = 0.34 ± 0.04 and 0.18 ± 0.02 cm2V−1s−1 for TT and BDT(BT)2 COF films, respectively. These results reveal distinct charge‐transport characteristics and provide mechanistic insights into their ultrafast charge‐carrier dynamics. The COFs are demonstrated to be photoactive, showing promising potential as photocathodes without co‐catalysts in photoelectrochemical water splitting, with notable photocurrent densities of 10 and 15.3 µA cm−2 after 1 h illumination, respectively. This work highlights the potential of TTNTA‐based COFs in optoelectronic applications and provides insights into the design of thiophene‐enriched COFs with high crystallinity and photoactive behavior.

Authors: Xue, T; Righetto, M; Guntermann, R; Wang, S; Blätte, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Small
• Article number: e11000
• Publication date: 2025-11-07
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202511000
• EISSN: 1613-6829
• ISSN: 1613-6810
• Language: English
• Keywords: tetrathienonaphthalene; optical‐pump terahertz‐probe spectroscopy; covalent organic frameworks; photoactive