ABSTRACT
Metal-air batteries (MABs) have received revived interest in the last decade for next-generation energy storage and conversion systems. Such batteries offer many prospects and advantages regarding high energy density, environmental friendliness, and low cost. However, their long lifetime and large-scale adoption are still inhibited by multiple factors, one of them being the demand for more effective and accessible cathode materials. The cathode in MABs is constituted by an air electrode, which accommodates an electrocatalyst that should promote the reactants reduction and evolution. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have very recently been proposed as suitable materials for such applications due to their adjustable and controllable intrinsic composition, structure, and morphology. Their defined porosity forms a network of ion diffusion pathways that genuinely favors reaction kinetics, while also can enclose transition metals that can act as active sites. Furthermore, researchers have made attempts to hybridize COFs with other electronic and ionic conductive supports to overcome their insulating nature. This chapter examines the research conducted regarding COF-based materials that have been applied as air-electrodes in MABs.
