Scalable Green Synthesis of Robust Ultra-Microporous Hofmann Clathrate Material with Record C3 H6 Storage Density for Efficient C3 H6 /C3 H8 Separation.

Developing porous materials for C3 H6 /C3 H8 separation faces the challenge of merging excellent separation performance with high stability and easy scalability of synthesis. Herein, we report a robust Hofmann clathrate material (ZJU-75a), featuring high-density strong binding sites to achieve all the above requirements. ZJU-75a adsorbs large amount of C3 H6 with a record high storage density of 0.818 g mL-1 , and concurrently shows high C3 H6 /C3 H8 selectivity (54.2) at 296 K and 1 bar. Single-crystal structure analysis unveil that the high-density binding sites in ZJU-75a not only provide much stronger interactions with C3 H6 but also enable the dense packing of C3 H6 . Breakthrough experiments on gas mixtures afford both high separation factor of 14.7 and large C3 H6 uptake (2.79 mmol g-1 ). This material is highly stable and can be easily produced at kilogram-scale using a green synthesis method, making it as a benchmark material to address major challenges for industrial C3 H6 /C3 H8 separation.

Robust and Radiation-Resistant Hofmann-Type Metal-Organic Frameworks for Record Xenon/Krypton Separation.

The discovery of high-performance adsorbents for highly efficient separation of xenon from krypton is an important but challenging task in the chemical industry due to their similar size and inert spherical nature. Herein, we report two robust and radiation-resistant Hofmann-type MOFs, Co(pyz)[Ni(CN)4] and Co(pyz)[Pd(CN)4] (termed as ZJU-74a-Ni and ZJU-74a-Pd), featuring oppositely adjacent open metal sites and perfect pore sizes (4.1 and 3.8 Å) comparable to the kinetic diameter of xenon (4.047 Å), affording the benchmark binding affinity for polarizable Xe gas. These materials thus exhibit both record-high Xe uptake capacities (89.3 and 98.4 cm3 cm-3 at 296 K and 0.2 bar) and Xe/Kr selectivities (74.1 and 103.4) at ambient conditions, all of which are the highest among all the state-of-the-art materials reported so far. The locations of Xe molecules within ZJU-74a-Ni have been visualized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, in which two oppositely adjacent metal centers combined with the right aperture size can construct a unique sandwich-like binding site to offer unprecedented and ultrastrong Ni2+-Xe-Ni2+ interactions with xenon, thus leading to the record Xe capture capacity and selectivity. The excellent separation capacity of ZJU-74a-Pd was verified by breakthrough experiments for Xe/Kr gas mixtures, providing both unprecedentedly high xenon uptake capacity (4.63 mmol cm-3) and krypton productivity (214 cm3 g-1).

Efficient CO2/CO separation in a stable microporous hydrogen-bonded organic framework.

We herein realize the first example of using a microporous HOF material (ZJU-HOF-1) with suitable pore cavities for highly efficient CO2/CO separation under dry and humid conditions.

Dense Packing of Acetylene in a Stable and Low-Cost Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient C2 H2 /CO2 Separation.

Porous materials for C2 H2 /CO2 separation mostly suffer from high regeneration energy, poor stability, or high cost that largely dampen their industrial implementation. A desired adsorbent should have an optimal balance between excellent separation performance, high stability, and low cost. We herein report a stable, low-cost, and easily scaled-up aluminum MOF (CAU-10-H) for highly efficient C2 H2 /CO2 separation. The suitable pore confinement in CAU-10-H can not only provide multipoint binding interactions with C2 H2 but also enable the dense packing of C2 H2 inside the pores. This material exhibits one of the highest C2 H2 storage densities of 392 g L-1 and highly selective adsorption of C2 H2 over CO2 at ambient conditions, achieved by a low C2 H2 adsorption enthalpy (27 kJ mol-1 ). Breakthrough experiments confirm its exceptional separation performance for C2 H2 /CO2 mixtures, affording both large C2 H2 uptake of 3.3 mmol g-1 and high separation factor of 3.4. CAU-10-H achieves the benchmark balance between separation performance, stability, and cost for C2 H2 /CO2 separation.

Chemically Stable Hafnium-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Highly Efficient C2H6/C2H4 Separation under Humid Conditions.

Realization of ethane-selective porous materials for efficient ethane/ethylene (C2H6/C2H4) separation is an important task in the petrochemical industry. Although a number of C2H6-selective adsorbents have been realized, their adsorption capacity and selectivity might be mostly dampened under humid conditions due to structure decomposition or co-adsorption of water vapor. A desired material should have simultaneously high C2H6 uptake and selectivity, excellent water stability, and ultralow water adsorption uptake for industrial applications, but such a material is elusive. Herein, we report a chemically stable hafnium-based material (Hf)DUT-52a, featuring the suitable pore apertures and less hydrophilicity for highly efficient C2H6/C2H4 separation under humid conditions. Gas sorption results reveal that (Hf)DUT-52a exhibits both high ethane adsorption capacity (4.02 mmol g-1) and C2H6/C2H4 selectivity (1.9) at 296 K and 1 bar, which are comparable to the majority of the top-performing materials. Most importantly, the less pore hydrophilicity enables (Hf)DUT-52a to exhibit a negligible water uptake of 0.036 g g-1 before 40% relative humidity (RH), effectively minimizing the impact of humidity on separation capacity. This material thus shows excellent separation capacity even under 40% RH with a high polymer-grade ethylene production capacity up to 8.43 L kg-1 at ambient conditions, as evidenced by the breakthrough experiments.

A Rod-Packing Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework with Suitable Pore Confinement for Benchmark Ethane/Ethylene Separation.

For the separation of ethane from ethylene, it remains challenging to target both high C2 H6 adsorption and selectivity in a C2 H6 -selective material. Herein, we report a reversible solid-state transformation in a labile hydrogen-bonded organic framework to generate a new rod-packing desolvated framework (ZJU-HOF-1) with suitable cavity spaces and functional surfaces to optimally interact with C2 H6 . ZJU-HOF-1 thus exhibits simultaneously high C2 H6 uptake (88 cm3 g-1 at 0.5 bar and 298 K) and C2 H6 /C2 H4 selectivity (2.25), which are significantly higher than those of most top-performing materials. Theoretical calculations revealed that the cage-like cavities and functional sites synergistically "match" better with C2 H6 to provide stronger multipoint interactions with C2 H6 than C2 H4 . In combination with its high stability and ultralow water uptake, this material can efficiently capture C2 H6 from 50/50 C2 H6 /C2 H4 mixtures in ambient conditions under 60 % RH, providing a record polymer-grade C2 H4 productivity of 0.98 mmol g-1 .

A Chemically Stable Hofmann-Type Metal-Organic Framework with Sandwich-Like Binding Sites for Benchmark Acetylene Capture.

The realization of porous materials for highly selective separation of acetylene (C2 H2 ) from various other gases (e.g., carbon dioxide and ethylene) by adsorption is of prime importance but challenging in the petrochemical industry. Herein, a chemically stable Hofmann-type metal-organic framework (MOF), Co(pyz)[Ni(CN)4 ] (termed as ZJU-74a), that features sandwich-like binding sites for benchmark C2 H2 capture and separation is reported. Gas sorption isotherms reveal that ZJU-74a exhibits by far the record C2 H2 capture capacity (49 cm3 g-1 at 0.01 bar and 296 K) and thus ultrahigh selectivity for C2 H2 /CO2 (36.5), C2 H2 /C2 H4 (24.2), and C2 H2 /CH4 (1312.9) separation at ambient conditions, respectively, of which the C2 H2 /CO2 selectivity is the highest among all the robust MOFs reported so far. Theoretical calculations indicate that the oppositely adjacent nickel(II) centers together with cyanide groups from different layers in ZJU-74a can construct a sandwich-type adsorption site to offer dually strong and cooperative interactions for the C2 H2 molecule, thus leading to its ultrahigh C2 H2 capture capacity and selectivities. The exceptional separation performance of ZJU-74a is confirmed by both simulated and experimental breakthrough curves for 50/50 (v/v) C2 H2 /CO2 , 1/99 C2 H2 /C2 H4 , and 50/50 C2 H2 /CH4 mixtures under ambient conditions.

Current Status of Microporous Metal-Organic Frameworks for Hydrocarbon Separations.

Separation of hydrocarbon mixtures into single components is a very important industrial process because all represent very important energy resources/raw chemicals in the petrochemical industry. The well-established industrial separation technology highly relies on the energy-intensive cryogenic distillation processes. The discovery of new materials capable of separating hydrocarbon mixtures by adsorbent-based separation technologies has the potential to provide more energy-efficient industrial processes with remarkable energy savings. Porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers, represent a new class of porous materials that offer tremendous promise for hydrocarbon separations because of their easy tunability, designability, and functionality. A number of MOFs have been designed and synthesized to show excellent separation performance on various hydrocarbon separations. Here, we summarize and highlight some recent significant advances in the development of microporous MOFs for hydrocarbon separation applications.

Tailoring the pore geometry and chemistry in microporous metal-organic frameworks for high methane storage working capacity.

We realized that tailoring the pore size/geometry and chemistry, by virtue of alkynyl or naphthalene replacing phenyl within a series of isomorphic MOFs, can optimize methane storage working capacities, affording an exceptionally high working capacity of 203 cm3 (STP) cm-3 at 298 K and 5-80 bar.