Self-Interpenetrated Water-Stable Microporous Metal–Organic Framework toward Storage and Purification of Light Hydrocarbons

Abstract

Storage and purification of light hydrocarbons are very meaningful for their high-purity requirements and safety utilization in the fields of industry and clean energy. It is a simple and effective way to achieve this goal utilizing the physical adsorption properties of stable porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In this work, a stable self-interpenetrated three-dimensional MOF with a new 3,4-connected topology, {[Zn₂(tpda)₂(4,4'-bpy)]·4DMF}<i>_n</i> (<b>NKM-101</b>; H₂tpda = 4,4'-[4-(4<i>H</i>-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)phenyl]dibenzoic acid, 4,4'-bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine, and DMF = <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylformamide), has been successfully constructed based on a triazole-carboxyl ligand. The dense functional active sites existing on the inner walls of one-dimensional channels of <b>NKM-101</b> are beneficial to enhancement of the binding affinities between the framework and specific molecules (CO₂, C₂-C₄). Therefore, the selective adsorption and separation performance of the material on CO₂/CH₄ and C₂-C₄/CH₄ are effectively improved. In addition, <b>NKM-101</b> also exhibits excellent water stability, making it possible to be a practical material for the storage and purification of light hydrocarbons.