Perspectives of ionic covalent organic frameworks for rechargeable batteries

[Display omitted] •ICOFs are rich in ion-ion and ion–dipole interactions with guest molecules or ions.•ICOFs are superior to electroneutral COFs for rechargeable batteries.•The characteristics and superiorities of ICOFs are discussed.•The challenges faced by ICOFs and potential strategies are presented. Rechargeable batteries are one of the hottest research areas today, which are strongly dependent on the transport and storage of ions. Recently, the emerging ionic covalent organic frameworks (ICOFs) that contain a large number of ionic groups have attracted much attention for various applications, because they are endowed with the merits of COFs as well as ionic properties. The presence of ICOFs could also profoundly regulate the performance of batteries, by virtue of the rich ion-ion and ion–dipole interactions between the ICOFs and other components in the batteries. This review highlights the applications of ICOFs in rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), dual-ion batteries (DIBs), lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) and solid-state batteries (SSBs) and would stimulate further interest in ICOFs for rechargeable batteries and other various applications.