One‐step Ethylene Purification from an Acetylene/Ethylene/Ethane Ternary Mixture by Cyclopentadiene Cobalt‐Functionalized Metal–Organic Frameworks

Abstract

AbstractThe separation of ethylene (C2H4) from a mixture of ethane (C2H6), ethylene (C2H4), and acetylene (C2H2) at normal temperature and pressure is a significant challenge. The sieving effect of pores is powerless due to the similar molecular size and kinetic diameter of these molecules. We report a new modification method based on a stableftwtopological Zr‐MOF platform (MOF‐525). Introduction of a cyclopentadiene cobalt functional group led to new ftw‐type MOFs materials (UPC‐612andUPC‐613), which increase the host‐guest interaction and achieve efficient ethylene purification from the mixture of hydrocarbon gases. The high performance ofUPC‐612andUPC‐613for C2H2/C2H4/C2H6separation has been verified by gas sorption isotherms, density functional theory (DFT), and experimentally determined breakthrough curves. This work provides a one‐step separation of the ternary gas mixture and can further serve as a blueprint for the design and construction of function‐oriented porous structures for such applications.