Stabilisation strategies for useful COFs

We examine the different aspects of covalent organic framework (COF) stability. Of these, linkage chemistry has received the most attention, progressing from B–O to polyphenazine-linked backbones, alongside post-synthetic modification and stable-linkage crystallinity control through slow release and protecting group approaches. Interlayer stabilisation has also been explored through both post-synthetic and in-built crosslinking strategies. Nevertheless, these advances remain fragmented; stabilisation strategies are rarely benchmarked under equivalent conditions and there are notable blind spots: the mechanical stability of COF films and membranes is often neglected, and device scale morphological stability is rarely quantified. This prospective contextualises and critically evaluates stabilisation strategies, identifies where progress has been made, and where strategies remain underdeveloped.