# 3D COFs: COF-102 and COF-300

> Tetrahedral building blocks take covalent organic frameworks into three dimensions. Boronic acids on a tetraphenylmethane or -silane core condense into boroxine rings, each joining three tetrahedra (COF-102 and COF-103): crystals of very low density with surface areas of 3472 and 4210 m² g⁻¹. Tetra(4-anilyl)methane and terephthaldehyde give imine-linked COF-300 on a diamond net; five such nets grow through one another, yet 7.2 Å pores remain.

- Page: https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/covalent-organic-frameworks/3d-cof-102-cof-300-diamond-net
- Open in the LabCanvas editor (LabCanvas account): https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=cof-3d-cof102-cof300
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Covalent organic frameworks
- Method: 3D COF design, bottom-up
- Starting materials: Tetra(4-dihydroxyborylphenyl)methane or -silane (COF-102, COF-103); tetra-(4-anilyl)methane and terephthaldehyde (COF-300)
- Product: Crystalline 3D COFs: boroxine-linked ctn nets and an imine-linked, five-fold interwoven diamond net
- Key result: COF-102 3472 and COF-103 4210 m² g⁻¹, stable to 400–500 °C, densities as low as 0.17 g cm⁻³ (El-Kaderi et al. 2007); COF-300 1360 m² g⁻¹, stable to 490 °C (Uribe-Romo et al. 2009)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 82 editable layers (10 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **Tetrahedral nodes**: Four arms from a central C or Si point to the corners of a tetrahedron
2. **COF-102 / COF-103**: Self-condensation to boroxine rings: each B₃O₃ joins three tetrahedra (ctn net; El-Kaderi et al. 2007)
3. **COF-300**: Imine condensation with linear terephthaldehyde: a diamond (dia) net (Uribe-Romo et al. 2009)
4. **Interweaving**: Five independent diamond nets grow through one another; pores of 7.2 Å remain

## Strengths

- Very high surface areas and low densities
- Pores open in three dimensions
- Designed from the geometry of the building blocks

## Limitations

- Interweaving shrinks the pores
- Boroxine links are moisture-sensitive

## Uses

- Gas storage (hydrogen, methane)
- Models for designing 3D organic frameworks

## References

1. El-Kaderi et al., “Designed Synthesis of 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks”, Science 2007. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1139915 (primary)
2. Uribe-Romo et al., “A Crystalline Imine-Linked 3-D Porous Covalent Organic Framework”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja8096256 (primary)
3. Diercks & Yaghi, “The atom, the molecule, and the covalent organic framework”, Science 2017. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aal1585 (review)

Credit: After El-Kaderi et al., Science 2007 (doi:10.1126/science.1139915), Uribe-Romo et al., JACS 2009 (doi:10.1021/ja8096256) and Diercks & Yaghi, Science 2017 (doi:10.1126/science.aal1585). Nets drawn from bond lengths; interweaving schematic.

## Questions

**What does the “3D COFs: COF-102 and COF-300” template show?** Tetrahedral building blocks take covalent organic frameworks into three dimensions. Boronic acids on a tetraphenylmethane or -silane core condense into boroxine rings, each joining three tetrahedra (COF-102 and COF-103): crystals of very low density with surface areas of 3472 and 4210 m² g⁻¹. Tetra(4-anilyl)methane and terephthaldehyde give imine-linked COF-300 on a diamond net; five such nets grow through one another, yet 7.2 Å pores remain.

**What are the steps shown in “3D COFs: COF-102 and COF-300”?** 1. Tetrahedral nodes: Four arms from a central C or Si point to the corners of a tetrahedron. 2. COF-102 / COF-103: Self-condensation to boroxine rings: each B₃O₃ joins three tetrahedra (ctn net; El-Kaderi et al. 2007). 3. COF-300: Imine condensation with linear terephthaldehyde: a diamond (dia) net (Uribe-Romo et al. 2009). 4. Interweaving: Five independent diamond nets grow through one another; pores of 7.2 Å remain.

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Tetra(4-dihydroxyborylphenyl)methane or -silane (COF-102, COF-103); tetra-(4-anilyl)methane and terephthaldehyde (COF-300). Product: Crystalline 3D COFs: boroxine-linked ctn nets and an imine-linked, five-fold interwoven diamond net.

**Which papers is “3D COFs: COF-102 and COF-300” based on?** El-Kaderi et al., “Designed Synthesis of 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks”, Science 2007 (doi:10.1126/science.1139915); Uribe-Romo et al., “A Crystalline Imine-Linked 3-D Porous Covalent Organic Framework”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009 (doi:10.1021/ja8096256); Diercks & Yaghi, “The atom, the molecule, and the covalent organic framework”, Science 2017 (doi:10.1126/science.aal1585).

**Can I edit the “3D COFs: COF-102 and COF-300” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 82 layers are editable, including 10 generated objects (structures, plots, equipment) with their own settings. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

**Do I need an account to use this template?** Not to view it here. To open and edit it, sign in to LabCanvas or create a free account (the free plan keeps one design of each kind). Downloading the figure is part of LabCanvas Pro (US$19 a month or US$199 a year).