Flexible Microporous Framework for One-Step Acquisition of Ethylene from Ternary C2 Hydrocarbons

Wenjing Zhang; Shuixiang Zou; Yunzhe Zhou; Zhenyu Ji; Hengbo Li; Guoli Zhen; Cheng Chen; Danhua Song; Mingyan Wu

doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04267

Flexible Microporous Framework for One-Step Acquisition of Ethylene from Ternary C₂ Hydrocarbons

Inorg Chem. 2024 Feb 12;63(6):3145-3151. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04267. Epub 2024 Jan 26.

Authors

Wenjing Zhang^{1

2}, Shuixiang Zou², Yunzhe Zhou², Zhenyu Ji^{1

2}, Hengbo Li^{1

2}, Guoli Zhen^{1

2}, Cheng Chen^{2

3}, Danhua Song², Mingyan Wu^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.
³ Fujian College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.

PMID: 38277266
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04267

Abstract

One-step purification of ethylene (C₂H₄) from ternary C₂ hydrocarbon mixtures is a crucial task and an enduring challenge because of their similar molecular size and physical properties. Owing to their intriguing structural dynamics, flexible MOFs have attracted more attention for gas adsorption and separation. Herein, we report a flexible MOF FJI-W-66 that exhibits rarely seen "breathing" behaviors for C₂ hydrocarbons. Upon activation, the channels of guest-free FJI-W-66a significantly contract to a nearly closed-pore state. FJI-W-66a shows the stepwise adsorption isotherms for C₂ hydrocarbons, which suggests the occurrence of structural transformation between less open and more open phases. Breakthrough experiments provide evidence that FJI-W-66a can selectively separate C₂H₄ from C₂H₂/C₂H₄/C₂H₆ mixtures with different ratios under ambient conditions, realizing the one-step acquisition of C₂H₄ from ternary C₂ hydrocarbons.