Interplay of Metalloligand and Organic Ligand to Tune Micropores within Isostructural Mixed-Metal Organic Frameworks (M′MOFs) for Their Highly Selective Separation of Chiral and Achiral Small Molecules

Four porous isostructural mixed-metal–organic
frameworks
(M′MOFs) have been synthesized and structurally characterized.
The pores within these M′MOFs are systematically tuned by the
interplay of both the metalloligands and organic ligands which have
enabled us not only to direct their highly selective separation of
chiral alcohols 1-phenylethanol (PEA), 2-butanol (BUT), and 2-pentanol
(2-PEN) with the highest ee up to 82.4% but also to lead highly selective
separation of achiral C2H2/C2H4 separation. The potential application of these M′MOFs
for the fixed bed pressure swing adsorption (PSA) separation of C2H2/C2H4 has been further
examined and compared by the transient breakthrough simulations in
which the purity requirement of 40 ppm in the outlet gas can be readily
fulfilled by the fixed bed M′MOF-4a adsorber at
ambient conditions.