Refinement of pore size at sub-angstrom precision in robust metal-organic frameworks for separation of xylenes


Li, Xiaolin, Wang, Juehua, Bai, Nannan, Zhang, Xinran, Han, Xue, da Silva, Ivan, Morris, Christopher G, Xu, Shaojun, Wilary, Damian M, Sun, Yinyong et al (show 12 more authors) (2020) Refinement of pore size at sub-angstrom precision in robust metal-organic frameworks for separation of xylenes. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 11 (1). 4280-.

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Abstract

The demand for xylenes is projected to increase over the coming decades. The separation of xylene isomers, particularly p- and m-xylenes, is vital for the production of numerous polymers and materials. However, current state-of-the-art separation is based upon fractional crystallisation at 220 K which is highly energy intensive. Here, we report the discrimination of xylene isomers via refinement of the pore size in a series of porous metal–organic frameworks, MFM-300, at sub-angstrom precision leading to the optimal kinetic separation of all three xylene isomers at room temperature. The exceptional performance of MFM-300 for xylene separation is confirmed by dynamic ternary breakthrough experiments. In-depth structural and vibrational investigations using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and terahertz spectroscopy define the underlying host–guest interactions that give rise to the observed selectivity (p-xylene < o-xylene < m-xylene) and separation factors of 4.6–18 for p- and m-xylenes.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: metal-organic frameworks
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 01 Oct 2020 09:00
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 23:30
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17640-4
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3103124

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