Nanoporous and Highly Thermal Conductive Thin Film of Single-Crystal Covalent Organic Frameworks Ribbons

Nanoporous materials are widely explored as efficient adsorbents for the storage of gases and liquids as well as for effective low-dielectric materials in large-scale integrated circuits. These applications require fast heat transfer, while most nanoporous substances are thermal insulators. Here, the oriented growth of micrometer-sized single-crystal covalent organic frameworks (COFs) ribbons with nanoporous structures at an air-water interface is presented. The obtained COFs ribbons are interconnected into a continuous and purely crystalline thin film. Due to the robust connectivity among the COFs ribbons, the entire film can be easily transferred and reliably contacted with target supports. The measured thermal conductivity amounts to similar to 5.31 +/- 0.37 W m(-1)K(-1) at 305 K, which is so far the highest value for nanoporous materials. These findings provide a methodology to grow and assemble single-crystal COFs into large area ensembles for the exploration of functional properties and potentially lead to new devices with COFs thin films where both porosity and thermal conductivity are desired.

Automated summary

This study successfully achieved the oriented growth of micrometer-sized single-crystal COFs ribbons with nanoporous structures at an air-water interface, forming a continuous and purely crystalline thin film with a high thermal conductivity value. This provides a new method for exploring functional properties and potentially developing new devices.