A copper-based metal–organic framework with a suitable pore environment for effective ethylene purification

Abstract

Purifying ethylene from an acetylene/ethylene mixture is feasible but challenging because of their similar physical properties. Herein, we synthesized a copper-based metal–organic framework (MOF), namely complex 1, that can preferentially adsorb more C₂H₂ than C₂H₄. Breakthrough experiments show that complex 1 can purify the acetylene/ethylene mixture into high-purity ethylene (99.99%) and the productivity is 0.48 mmol g⁻¹. This work shows that a suitable pore environment will greatly enhance the host–guest interaction, to realize the separation of a similar mixture.