Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Polarisation Engineering in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Catalysis

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02183-y
Xinqiang Wang
Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an 710021, People’s Republic of China
Xiaoning Li
Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Minna Li
Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Zhixuan Li
Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland
Zhihao Lei
Department of Chemical Engineering and Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Hydrogen Technologies and Carbon Management (IRC‑HTCM), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261 Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Shujuan Huang
School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Jiabao Yi
Department of Chemical Engineering and Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Hydrogen Technologies and Carbon Management (IRC‑HTCM), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261 Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Zhong‑Yong Yuan
Collaborative Innovation Center of Materials Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, People’s Republic of China
Liqun Ye
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, People’s Republic of China
Wen‑Gang Cui
Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an 710021, People’s Republic of China
Tianyi Ma
Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Hongge Pan
Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an 710021, People’s Republic of China
Xinwei Guan
Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

Corresponding Author: Xinwei Guan

xinwei.guan@mq.edu.au

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 347

Abstract

Polarisation in covalent organic framework (COF) catalysts has emerged as an effective strategy to reduce strong excitonic binding and to improve charge transport through built-in electric fields. Unlike conventional inorganic ferroelectrics or polar materials, COFs enable programmable polarisation through molecular and lattice design, allowing internal fields to be tuned in strength and direction. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of polarisation in COFs, from its physical origins to its functional roles in catalysis. We first examine the multiscale origins of polarisation in COFs, encompassing bond-level electronic asymmetry, conjugation-mediated propagation, and framework-level structural organisation that governs dipole alignment and cancellation. We then summarise how polarisation is characterised experimentally and theoretically across different electronic and catalytic states, including ground-state electrostatic potential landscapes, photoexcited-state charge dynamics, and polarisation effects at solid–liquid catalytic interfaces. Finally, through representative photocatalytic and electrocatalytic case studies, we illustrate how deliberate polarisation engineering reshapes charge separation, transport, and reaction pathways across diverse catalytic reactions, and conclude by discussing the key opportunities and challenges for translating polarisation into a predictive design principle for COFs. By connecting the origins, characterisations, regulating strategies, and catalytic mechanisms, this review provides a more integrated perspective on polarisation phenomena in next-generation COF catalysts.


Highlights:
1 Establishes a unified framework linking the origins, descriptors, and catalytic functions of polarisation in covalent organic frameworks (COFs).
2 Systematically categorises polarisation engineering strategies in COFs and correlates them with excitonic, electronic, and interfacial descriptors.
3 Demonstrates how programmable internal electrostatics enable selective and efficient photocatalytic and electrocatalytic reactions.

Keywords

Covalent organic frameworks Polarisation engineering Built-in electric field Charge separation Catalysis
Wang, Xinqiang, Xiaoning Li, Minna Li, Zhixuan Li, Zhihao Lei, Shujuan Huang, Jiabao Yi, Zhong‑Yong Yuan, Liqun Ye, Wen‑Gang Cui, Tianyi Ma, Hongge Pan, and Xinwei Guan. 2026. “Polarisation Engineering in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Catalysis”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (April):347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02183-y.
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