Reduced-Symmetry Ligand Constructed Y‑Based Metal–Organic Framework for Inverse Propane/Propylene Separation

The rational design of organic ligands is crucial in
the development
of new metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to enrich the structural
diversity and application potential of MOFs. For example, tuning the
ligand symmetry has been widely utilized in the construction of new
MOFs with specific properties. Herein, a novel Y-based MOF (denoted
as NU-60) was generated by selecting a tritopic carboxylate ligand
with reduced symmetry. Compared with its tritopic counterpart with
relatively high symmetry, NU-60 has a new (3,12)-connected topology,
highlighting the power of the ligand desymmetrization method to enrich
MOF structural diversity. Gas adsorption studies demonstrated that
NU-60 is a propane-selective adsorbent for efficient propane/propylene
separation.