Issue 5, 2018

One-of-a-kind: a microporous metal–organic framework capable of adsorptive separation of linear, mono- and di-branched alkane isomers via temperature- and adsorbate-dependent molecular sieving

Abstract

Separation of alkane isomers represents a crucial process in the petrochemical industry in order to achieve a high octane rating of gasoline. Herein, we report the first example of complete separation of linear, monobranched and dibranched alkane isomers using a single adsorbent. A calcium-based robust microporous metal–organic framework, Ca(H2tcpb) (tcpb = 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)-benzene), exhibits unique molecular exclusion behavior which enables full separation of binary or ternary mixtures of alkane isomers into the pure form of each isomerate. The successful separation of monobranched and dibranched alkane isomers will not only lead to the production of higher quality gasoline with maximum possible octane numbers but also fill the gap in the current separation technology. Exploration of the separation mechanism indicates that the structural flexibility and adsorbate-dependent structural change of the porous framework play a vital role in the observed temperature-dependent molecular sieving property of the adsorbent.

Graphical abstract: One-of-a-kind: a microporous metal–organic framework capable of adsorptive separation of linear, mono- and di-branched alkane isomers via temperature- and adsorbate-dependent molecular sieving

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
09 2 2018
Accepted
29 3 2018
First published
29 3 2018

Energy Environ. Sci., 2018,11, 1226-1231

Author version available

One-of-a-kind: a microporous metal–organic framework capable of adsorptive separation of linear, mono- and di-branched alkane isomers via temperature- and adsorbate-dependent molecular sieving

H. Wang, X. Dong, E. Velasco, D. H. Olson, Y. Han and J. Li, Energy Environ. Sci., 2018, 11, 1226 DOI: 10.1039/C8EE00459E

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