0D Covalent Organic Cages: Design, Synthesis, and Applications

Abstract

Inspired by nature, chemists have developed porous discrete molecular architectures with well-defined three-dimensional cavities for the acceleration of specific reactions, stabilization of reactive intermediates, and molecular separation. Although the research on self-assembled coordination cages is growing, the design and synthesis of analogous metal-free organic cage compounds have emerged as an alternative approach to produce neutral and robust architectures, as these materials are made of strong covalent bonds. In this chapter, we highlight different synthetic approaches of these covalent organic cage compounds and their use in accelerations of reaction rate and separation.