Direct Ethylene Purification from Cracking Gas via a Metal–Organic Framework Through Pore Geometry Fitting
Yang Chen,
Zhenduo Wu,
Longlong Fan,
Rajamani Krishna,
Hongliang Huang,
Yi Wang,
Qizhao Xiong,
Jinping Li,
Libo Li
Affiliations
Yang Chen
College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Zhenduo Wu
City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan), Dongguan 523000, China; Center for Neutron Scattering, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
Longlong Fan
Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Rajamani Krishna
Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, Netherlands
Hongliang Huang
State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
Yi Wang
College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Qizhao Xiong
College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Jinping Li
College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China; Corresponding authors.
Libo Li
College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China; Corresponding authors.
The direct one-step separation of polymer-grade C2H4 from complex light hydrocarbon mixtures has high industrial significance but is very challenging. Herein, an ethylene-adsorption-weakening strategy is applied for precise regulation of the pore geometry of four tailor-made metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with pillar-layered structures, dubbed TYUT-10/11/12/13. Based on its pore geometry design and functional group regulation, TYUT-12 exhibits exceptional selective adsorption selectivity toward C3H8, C3H6, C2H6, C2H2, and CO2 over C2H4; its C2H6/C2H4 adsorption selectivity reaches 4.56, surpassing the record value of 4.4 by Fe2(O2)(dobdc) (dobdc4− = 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate). The weak π–π stacking binding affinity toward C2H4 in TYUT-12 is clearly demonstrated through a combination of neutron powder diffraction measurements and theoretical calculations. Breakthrough experiments demonstrate that C2H4 can be directly obtained from binary, ternary, quaternary, and six-component light hydrocarbon mixtures with over 99.95% purity.
