Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is a key signaling molecule involved in oxidative stress pathways in both animal and plant systems. Accordingly, accurate monitoring of ONOO- is essential for understanding ONOO- associated disease progression in humans as well as for evaluating plant growth and physiological status. However, existing fluorescence probes for ONOO- are largely limited to biomedical applications, with very few reports focusing on plants systems. To address this limitation, we rationally designed a dual-site responsive fluorescent probe, XTNOP, incorporating diphenyl phosphate and chromenylium cation as reactive sites, which enables highly selective detection of ONOO-via a green fluorescence turn-on response. XTNOP exhibits favorable sensing properties, including a fast response time (40 min), a pronounced fluorescence enhancement (25-fold) and a low detect limit (52 nM). Benefiting from its good biocompatibility, XTNOP enables the imaging of both endogenous and exogenous ONOO- in living cells and zebrafish. Notably, the probe was further applied to monitor ONOO- levels in Arabidopsis thaliana root. Overall, these findings demonstrate that the dual-site responsive design is a novel and effective strategy for developing fluorescent probes with expanded applicability across animal and plant systems.

ABSTRACT Achieving simultaneously high ion permselectivity and chemical robustness in concentrated electrolytes remains a central challenge for membrane‐based technologies, because strong electrostatic screening suppresses charge‐based exclusion while corrosive acids and bases accelerate material degradation. Here we report a molecular strategy to construct robust linkage‐encoded covalent organic framework (COF) membranes in which short‐range ion‐framework interactions are embedded directly within fully conjugated enaminone linkages lining vertically aligned nanochannels. By holding framework topology and pore architecture constant while varying only the linkage chemistry, we show that the linkage microenvironment governs ion selectivity, transport efficiency, and chemical stability. Periodic enaminone motifs create persistent coordination environments and hydrogen‐bond networks that remain effective at high ionic strength, enabling ultrafast proton transport exceeding Nafion 212 by more than fivefold. The membrane preserves crystallinity and pore alignment and maintains performance after exposure to 12 M H 2 SO 4 at 110°C and under concentrated alkaline conditions. To demonstrate performance under extreme conditions, it delivers a peak osmotic power density of 2422.9 W m −2 under a 12 M || 0.01 M H 2 SO 4 gradient while maintaining stable continuous operation. This linkage‐encoding paradigm provides a general route to ion‐selective, chemically resilient membranes for reliable ion transport and electrochemical technologies operating in chemically extreme electrolytes.

Precise modulation of ion permselectivity in synthetic membranes is crucial for advancing separation and energy conversion technologies. Here, we demonstrate that neutral substituents can reprogram the intrinsic ion selectivity of cationic covalent organic framework (COF) membranes by introducing secondary local interactions that compete with long‐range Coulombic forces. Using triaminoguanidinium‐based COFs as a model system, we systematically varied both the number and type of substituents on 1,3,5‐trialdehyde linkers. The introduced substituents generated secondary interactions that modulated the primary Coulombic interactions between guanidinium cations and Cl – counterions. When two or more hydroxyl groups were present on the aldehyde linkers, these interactions immobilized anions and inverted the effective surface potential from positive to negative, thereby switching the transport polarity from anion‐ to cation‐selective behavior. In contrast, methoxy substitution weakened Coulombic interactions, enhancing anion selectivity. This tunable control over the local chemical microenvironment enabled programmable and reversible ion permselectivity without altering the permanent framework charge. Leveraging this mechanism, we achieved record‐high ionic thermoelectric performance, 25.9 W m −2 for a single membrane and 39.1 W m − 2 for a stacked configuration under a 50 K temperature gradient. This work establishes substituent‐mediated secondary interactions as a general and powerful strategy for programming ion transport, bridging biological selectivity principles with the design of adaptive COF‐based membranes for energy harvesting and separation.

Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gaseous signaling molecule involved in plant stress responses, yet its dynamics under pesticide exposure remains poorly understood. Here, we report QM-CO, a quinoline-malononitrile-based, intramolecular charge-transfer-regulated turn-on fluorescent probe for imaging CO-associated changes in zebrafish and cotton roots. QM-CO exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity toward CO, with fluorescence reaching a plateau within 10 min, while the activated fluorophore displayed an aggregation-induced emission enhancement. Hemin stimulation increased fluorescence, whereas pharmacological inhibition of heme oxygenase-1 attenuated the response, providing bidirectional evidence for HO-1-related CO production. QM-CO further revealed concentration- and time-dependent fluorescence increases in cotton roots exposed to thiamethoxam and imidacloprid, accompanied by pesticide-induced growth inhibition and visible phenotypic alterations, thereby linking molecular fluorescence changes to observable plant-level stress phenotypes. These findings establish QM-CO as a rapid and practical imaging platform for monitoring CO-associated responses and investigating insecticide-induced stress processes in agriculturally relevant plant tissues.

The γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor is a principal mediator of fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Dysfunction of the GABAA receptor (GABAAR) is closely associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders, making it a crucial target for developing therapeutic agents. Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have enabled direct visualization of subtype-specific conformations, ligand-binding pockets, and gating-associated structural rearrangements of GABAAR, providing a structural basis for mechanism-driven and subtype-selective allosteric modulator design. This review summarizes recent progress in GABAA receptor targeting ligands, with an emphasis on distinct allosteric binding sites, regulatory mechanisms, and subtype-dependent pharmacological profiles. Representative chemical scaffolds are discussed to illustrate structure-based optimization strategies and lead identification approaches informed by high-resolution structural data. Collectively, these advances highlight how structure-resolved insights are reshaping GABAAR drug discovery and enabling the development of next-generation therapeutics with improved efficacy and reduced adverse effects.

Precise intraoperative fluorescence (FL) imaging is crucial for improving cancer surgical outcomes. However, currently approved FL probes are consistently "always-on" fluorescent and often accumulate nonspecifically, which leads to suboptimal tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) and hampers an accurate margin assessment. We present duNP-DA, a cascade-responsive AND-logic activatable near-infrared (NIR) FL nanoprobe designed for precise intraoperative imaging of colorectal cancer (CRC). duNP-DA leverages the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) to trigger a charge inversion and utilizes a unique AND-logic activation mechanism mediated by endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and lysosomal pH, resulting in significant tumoral uptake and a remarkable NIR FL enhancement at 800 nm (>100-fold). Notably, duNP-DA holds fast secondary reaction kinetics (k2 = 6050 ± 43 M-1 s-1) toward H2S following preincubation at lysosomal pH, enabling rapid and specific activation within CRC cells. Postintravenous injection, duNP-DA effectively minimizes background signals, accumulating predominantly in primary and peritoneal metastatic colorectal tumors and achieving a TBR of up to 8.2. Noninvasive NIR FL imaging delineates lesions as small as 2 mm, aiding in the surgical resection of deep-seated peritoneal metastases that are otherwise undetectable through direct visual inspection. In clinical evaluations, duNP-DA effectively delineates primary, occult lymph node metastases and omental metastatic lesions. Furthermore, duNP-DA demonstrates 100% diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing tumors from normal tissues, with FL intensity showing strong correlation with artificial intelligent-quantified tumor cellularity (Pearson's r = 0.9103). Our work establishes duNP-DA as a promising translational platform for NIR FL-guided CRC surgery and intraoperative margin assessment.

Interfacial reaction microenvironments play a critical role in determining photocatalytic performance beyond the intrinsic properties of photocatalysts. However, emulsion-based photocatalytic platforms that simultaneously offer structural robustness, switchable operation, and efficient interfacial charge-transfer regulation remain rare. Herein, smart-responsive Pickering emulsions are developed by costabilization of chalcogenoviologen surfactants (SV2+-UDA/SeV2+-UDA/TeV2+-UDA) and single-atom platinum-decorated graphitic carbon nitride (Pt SAs@g-C3N4) for biphasic photocatalysis. The resulting emulsions exhibit outstanding stability in strong acidic and alkaline media as well as in saturated brine while allowing reversible demulsification and re-emulsification under an external electric field, thereby enabling switchable catalysis and catalyst recovery. The optimized emulsion achieves a hydrogen evolution rate of up to 7824 μmol·h-1·g-1 under visible-light irradiation, corresponding to a 3.0-fold enhancement over the bulk aqueous, viologen-free system, while retaining over 90% of its activity across a wide pH range and under seawater salinity. More importantly, the emulsion functions as a bidirectional microreactor, coupling aqueous hydrogen evolution with oil-phase oxidative coupling of benzylamine without sacrificial reagents, and delivers imine yields above 85% together with a hydrogen evolution rate of 3892 μmol·h-1·g-1. The enhanced performance highlights the critical role of interfacial synergy. The surfactant/photocatalyst costabilization strategy provides a versatile platform for robust, switchable, and synergistic biphasic photocatalysis.

Scanning probe lithography has been widely integrated into functional device fabrication but often results in coexistence of oxidation and etching owing to complex interfacial reactions, which severely undermine the performance, functionality, and long-term stability of advanced electronics. To date, the transition mechanism between oxidation and etching remains poorly understood, and effective regulation strategies are still lacking. Here, it is revealed that pulsed bias can regulate the competition between ion transport and electron transfer, which plays a decisive role in determining interfacial reaction pathways and enabling selective oxidation or etching. By simply adjusting the pulse parameters, atomic-level oxidation and etching patterns can be achieved on hydrophilic 4H-SiC (0001) surfaces. Density functional theory calculations reveal that bias-driven charge transfer lowers the transition-state energy barrier and weakens the Si-C bonds. Electronic structure calculations further elucidate the kinetics of proposed cathodic electro-enhanced catalytic etching. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy images confirm that the underlying lattice beneath the etched regions remains intact with no detectable subsurface damage. This study not only provides theoretical insights into oxidation and etching behaviors at the atomic scale but also realizes their tunable transition through pulse regulation, holding significant implications for the development of advanced wide-bandgap semiconductor devices.

The physicochemical properties of mitochondrial and lipid droplet (LD) microenvironments, including water content and viscosity, as well as their dynamic interactions, play critical roles in maintaining cellular metabolic homeostasis and driving the progression of metabolic stress related pathologies. However, tools capable of realtime and quantitative monitoring of mitochondrial-LD microenvironment remodeling and their interactions in living systems remain limited, particularly under pathological metabolic stress conditions. Herein, by exploiting the reversible ring-open/ring-closed spirocyclization behavior of rhodamine dyes, we developed a singlemolecule fluorescent probe, ML-TPA, that enables switchable two-color imaging of mitochondria and LDs in response to local microenvironmental cues. The molecular structure and fluorescence output of ML-TPA are regulated by microenvironmental water content and viscosity. In its ring-open, cationic state, ML-TPA preferentially accumulates in mitochondria (Pr = 0.83) and exhibits near-infrared emission at 720 nm. In contrast, the neutral, lipophilic ring-closed form selectively labels LDs (Pr = 0.96) and displays green fluorescence centered at 485 nm. Using live-cell models of acute alcoholic liver injury (AALI) and drug-induced liver injury (DILI), MLTPA enabled visualization and quantitative analysis of LD accumulation and size variation, increased mitochondrial viscosity, and enhanced mitochondrial-LD interactions, with high colocalization coefficients confirming reliable organelle identification. The probe also showed excellent biocompatibility, with cell viability exceeding 90% at the working concentration. Collectively, ML-TPA provides a reversible, microenvironmentresponsive platform for dual-color imaging of mitochondria and LDs, offering a powerful chemical tool to investigate organelle microenvironment remodeling and inter-organelle crosstalk during metabolic stress related disease progression.

The artificial enhancement of equine athletic performance through pharmacological agents remains a critical concern in racing and other equine sports, threatening both animal welfare and the fairness of competition. Adrenaline, a controlled substance in equine doping, enhances explosive power and masks fatigue, yet its detection remains challenging due to its chemical instability and the limitations of conventional mass spectrometry methods. Herein, we report a simple and sensitive fluorescence-based detection strategy using a tyrosinase-ascorbic acid system to improve Ad stability and enable rapid quantification. In this system, TYR efficiently oxidizes Ad to adrenochrome, a fluorescent product with strong yellow-green fluorescence and a large Stokes shift (220 nm), allowing high signal-to-noise detection. And it exhibits excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.69 mu M and high selectivity over structurally similar catecholamines. Furthermore, the tyrosinase-ascorbic acid system successfully detects Ad in complex biological matrices, including untreated equine urine, under physiological pH and temperature conditions. This study introduces a practical and innovative fluorescence-based platform for rapid Ad detection, offering a promising alternative to traditional doping assays in equine sports.

ABSTRACT High‐salinity electrolytes coupled with low‐grade heat offer an attractive opportunity for ionic thermoelectric conversion, yet conventional fixed‐charge membranes rapidly lose ion permselectivity in concentrated media because Donnan exclusion is strongly screened. Here, we report an isoreticular series of nonionic covalent organic framework membranes with comparable one‐dimensional nanochannels but systematically varied pore‐wall oxygen chemistry. Hydroxyl‐substitution‐regulated hydrazone‐to‐β‐ketoenamine tautomerism generates carbonyl‐enriched BthTb‐3OH nanochannels, which preferentially partition and transport cations while suppressing anion migration without relying on covalently anchored charges. Across diverse electrolytes, BthTb‐3OH exhibits broadly cation‐favored transport, with particularly strong cation/anion mobility contrasts in sulfate‐ and phosphate‐containing media. Experiments and molecular dynamics simulations further reveal that the carbonyl‐rich channels couple high K + permselectivity with rapid K + conduction under concentrated‐salt conditions. K 3 PO 4 preconditioning reorganizes the confined transport landscape through retained phosphate/K + species within the carbonyl‐rich nanochannels, facilitating K + transport and amplifying thermodiffusive cation/anion contrast in sulfate media. Consequently, the conditioned membrane delivers a peak power density of 224.2 W m −2 in saturated K 2 SO 4 under a 50 K temperature difference, establishing nonionic COF nanochannels as a charge‐screening‐resistant platform for high‐salinity ionic thermoelectrics.

Coordinating proton and electron transport remains a central challenge in photocatalysis, particularly for H2O2 synthesis, where two-electron oxygen reduction requires synchronized proton delivery and charge transfer. Here, we report hydroxyl-functionalized three-dimensional covalent organic framework (COF) membranes that regulate proton-coupled electron transfer within ordered nanochannels. Phenolic hydroxyl groups are precisely embedded in the membrane pores as internal proton reservoirs, while the continuous COF framework provides pathways for photogenerated electron transport. By tuning hydroxyl density, the dihydroxylated COF-2OH membrane establishes an optimal proton-management microenvironment, promoting O2 adsorption, charge separation, superoxide/*OOH intermediate formation, and dynamic proton recycling. Under one-sun irradiation in pure water and ambient air, COF-2OH achieves an H2O2 production rate of 21.79 mmol g- 1 h- 1 without sacrificial agents or cocatalysts, greatly outperforming the corresponding powder catalyst. Mechanistic experiments and simulations reveal that membrane confinement and hydroxyl-mediated proton buffering jointly synchronize proton and electron fluxes during continuous photocatalysis. The free-standing membrane can also be integrated into a tubular Al2O3-supported reactor for in situ H2O2-driven photo-Fenton degradation of organic pollutants. This work establishes proton-managing COF membranes as programmable reaction interfaces for efficient solar H2O2 production and integrated water treatment.

Lithium is a critical component for high-energy-density storage, yet its selective extraction from complex matrices like brines and seawater remains a significant challenge. Recently, membrane separation has been emerging as an effective and economical separation technology for lithium extraction. Among diverse materials, the booming covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have become a category of promising materials for the fabrication of separation membranes due to their precise recognition and efficient separation of lithium ions by inherent selectively coordination interactions and various delightful progresses have been made on COF-based membranes for the lithium separation. Therefore, this review systematically summarizes recent advancements in the design strategies, separation mechanisms, and practical applications of COF-based membranes for the lithium-ion recovery from aqueous resources. It emphasizes innovative progresses in pore engineering, functional group modification, and biomimetic channel construction, while systematically evaluating the separation performance of different COF membranes such as free-standing membranes, thin-film composites (TFCs), and mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) in scenarios including lithium extraction from salt-lake brines, seawater, produced water/oilfield brines, and lithium recovery from spent battery leachates. The coordination chemistry underpinning Li+ selectivity is critically examined, and key challenges and future directions for industrial application are discussed. Ultimately, it aims to provide insights that facilitate the development of COF-based membranes for efficient lithium separation from lithium-containing aqueous solutions.

The Gibbs free energy generated from the mixing of seawater and freshwater across a salinity gradient is considered one of the most significant yet underutilized renewable energy sources. Membrane-based reverse electrodialysis (RED) enables direct electricity generation from osmotic energy by harnessing the net ion flux driven by concentration gradients across ion-selective membranes. However, entropy generation caused by non-selective ion mixing significantly limits the power density of RED systems. Therefore, enhancing membrane ion selectivity is critical. 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) demonstrate remarkable potential for osmotic energy conversion due to their aligned 1D nanochannel, high porosity, and organized ionic groups. Herein, we present a strategy leveraging electrostatic repulsion to controllably fabricate TpPa-(SO3H)X COF (X = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) membranes with varied ionic group density. Via stoichiometric modulation during COF synthesis, we achieved variation in sulfonic acid group density within nanochannels, enabling optimized charge-governed ion selectivity. Under salinity gradients mimicking seawater/freshwater conditions (0.5 m/0.01 m, NaCl), the device delivered an exceptional power output density of 24.53 W m-2, representing a 4.9-fold enhancement over commercial benchmarks (5 W m-2). This study presents a novel method and strategy for the design and application of ion-selective membranes in mass transport and efficient energy conversion.

The development of highly efficient, multifunctional catalysts featuring cooperative active sites is a complex yet vital endeavor. This study introduces an innovative approach through in situ polymerization, where flexible, cross-linked ionic polymers are synthesized within the channels of flexible, porous polymeric porphyrins. This process yields a series of interwoven frameworks endowed with dual catalytic active sites. The uniqueness of these catalysts lies in the synergistic interaction between metalated porphyrins and ionic components, greatly boosting their catalytic efficiency in the cycloaddition of CO2 and epoxides. The bifunctional catalysts not only surpass the individual constituents in performance but also demonstrate a significant superiority over their physical mixture. The structural flexibility and high density of active sites in these catalysts enable synergistic effects, leading to exceptional catalytic performance. This research marks a substantial leap in catalyst design, introducing a novel method for crafting bifunctional catalysts with dual-activation capabilities.

Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes have moved from crystalline porous solids to processable platforms for ion separation and ion-transport-based energy conversion. Their ordered nanochannels and chemically addressable pore walls enable precise control over effective pore size and topology, channel alignment, and embedded charge or affinity sites, parameters that are often difficult to tune independently in conventional polymer membranes. This review summarizes major fabrication routes and the membrane attributes they shape, including interfacial growth, casting-based methods, layer assembly, and composite architectures that tune crystallinity, alignment, thickness, and interface quality. We then organize advances in aqueous ion separation around recurring design logics that transfer across targets. For monovalent to multivalent discrimination, case studies show how pathway continuity and alignment, intrapore charge localization, Mg2+ trapping, and Li+-favored coordination environments can sustain selectivity in mixed electrolytes and concentrated feeds. For monovalent cation separation, functional-group grafting, pore narrowing, orientation control, and host-guest motifs amplify subtle differences in hydration and binding and can enable pH-regulated selectivity switching. For proton and metal-ion separation and acid recovery, sub-nanometre sieving coupled with hydrogen-bond-assisted proton conduction enables high H+/Mn+ selectivities under strongly acidic conditions. For Cl-/SO42- separation, COF selective layers and COF-enabled polyamide architectures illustrate how charge density, pore uniformity, and interfacial control can raise monovalent to divalent anion selectivity while maintaining practical flux. We further connect these transport principles to salinity-gradient energy conversion and coupled thermal or photo fields, where permselectivity and internal resistance jointly set power output under polarization and stability constraints. Looking forward, translation will depend on scalable fabrication with reproducible defect control and orientation, mechanistic validation in complex electrolytes under operando conditions, and process-relevant benchmarking that links membrane descriptors to module-level performance and durability.

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is an essential tool in materials science, offering high-resolution imaging and a large depth of field for detailed surface analysis. It plays a pivotal role in characterizing material morphology, microstructure, and elemental distribution. Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes, known for their crystalline and porous structures, are a promising class of next-generation high-performance separation membranes. SEM enables direct visualization of key features of COF membranes, such as surface morphology, cross-sectional architecture, membrane thickness, and elemental composition (e.g., via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, EDS mapping). This laboratory experiment introduces a structured methodology for teaching students both the operational principles of SEM and its application in COF membrane characterization. The step-by-step instructional framework covers critical aspects including sample preparation, instrument operation, and image analysis. By following this comprehensive approach, students develop proficiency in using SEM, laying a solid foundation for future research involving COF membranes and related materials. In addition to advancing membrane characterization pedagogy, the flexibility of SEM supports the design of diverse undergraduate laboratory experiments within nanoscience and nanomaterials curricula. Through hands-on experience in nanoscale membrane analysis, students acquire practical and transferable skills applicable to real-world challenges in chemistry, materials science, and engineering.

Precise separation of Cs+ and Sr2+ remains a critical challenge in nuclear waste remediation, where subtle variations in migration energetics under sub-nanometer confinement limit separation fidelity. Here, we demonstrate migration energy-landscape programming in an isoreticular series of hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) nanochannels to achieve kinetic Cs+/Sr2+ separation. To overcome the intrinsic processability limitations of hydrogen-bonded assemblies, we develop an interfacial chemical reaction-mediated confined assembly strategy that suppresses stochastic nucleation and yields continuous, defect-minimized crystalline HOF membranes. This isoreticular platform preserves identical channel geometry while enabling systematic modulation of pore-wall nitrogen density as an independent chemical variable, effectively decoupling structural confinement from chemical regulation. Multiscale simulations and temperature-dependent transport measurements reveal that nitrogen enrichment selectively amplifies the translocation energy barrier for Sr2+ while maintaining low-barrier hopping pathways for Cs+. The resulting migration-barrier asymmetry transforms structurally equivalent nanochannels into precise kinetic discriminators. Under competitive and electrically assisted conditions, the optimized membrane achieves a record-high Cs+/Sr2+ selectivity of 155.5. This work establishes programmable migration energy landscapes in crystalline nanochannels as a general strategy for engineering kinetic ion separations beyond conventional size- or valence-governed limits.

Ion-selective membranes for reverse electrodialysis typically rely on fixed charged groups to establish Donnan exclusion, yet their effective charge density is rapidly weakened by Debye screening under high-salinity conditions. Here we report hydrazone-linked covalent organic framework (COF) nanochannels with biomimetic dipolar pore-wall microenvironments for dynamic surface-charge regulation and coupled salinity-thermal energy conversion. Among hydroxyl-, methoxy- and non-functionalized COF membranes, the ortho-hydroxyl-functionalized COF-DhaBt/PAN establishes a cooperative hydroxyl-hydrazone dipolar network that preferentially restricts anion migration through ion-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding, thereby generating an adaptive negative microenvironment for accelerated cation transport. Phosphate preadsorption further converts anion retention into a charge-amplification mechanism, increasing the power density from 41.7 to 116.6 W m-2 under a 0.5 M‖0.01 M NaCl gradient. When a 35 K temperature gradient is introduced, the phosphate-regulated membrane delivers a power density of 208.4 W m-2, accompanied by an increase in the ionic Seebeck coefficient from 0.72 to 0.82 mV K-1. This work establishes dipolar pore-wall programming as an effective strategy for overcoming charge-screening limitations and integrating salinity-gradient energy harvesting with low-grade heat utilization.

Membrane-based desalination has become a crucial technology, harnessing the efficiency and scalability of membrane systems to address global water scarcity. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), with their precisely engineered nanopores and customizable chemical functionalities, show great potential for advancing next-generation desalination membranes. This review begins by exploring the fundamental separation mechanisms in COF-based desalination, including size exclusion, surface wettability modulation, and electrostatic interactions. It then highlights recent advances in the design and synthesis of COF membranes, with a focus on innovations in structural control and interfacial engineering. The application of COF membranes in desalination is categorized based on driving forces: pressure-driven desalination, thermally driven distillation, vapor pressure-driven processes, and electrically driven separation. Looking to the future, key research areas are identified, including machine learning-guided pore optimization, multifunctional COF hybrid architectures, and large-scale performance validation to move from laboratory breakthroughs to real-world implementation. By synthesizing these insights, this review aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration that can unlock the full potential of COFs in creating energy-efficient, durable, and sustainable desalination technologies.