Rigid Nanoporous Urea-Based Covalent Triazine Frameworks for C2/C1 and CO₂/CH₄ Gas Separation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Separation Science

Background:

• C2/C1 hydrocarbon separation is crucial for industries.
• Current cryogenic distillation methods are energy-intensive.
• Porous adsorbents present a sustainable alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate highly stable covalent triazine frameworks (urea-CTFs) for C2/C1 hydrocarbon separation.
• To assess the gas uptake and selectivity of urea-CTFs for acetylene (C2H2) and ethylene (C2H4) over methane (CH4).

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of urea-CTFs using 1,3-bis(4-cyanophenyl)urea.
• Gas uptake measurements at 273 K and 1 bar for C2H2, C2H4, and CH4.
• Breakthrough simulations to evaluate separation performance.

Main Results:

• Urea-CTFs demonstrated significant gas uptakes: 3.86 mmol/g for C2H2 and 2.92 mmol/g for C2H4 at 273 K and 1 bar.
• The synthesized urea-CTFs showed selectivity for C2 hydrocarbons over methane (CH4).

Conclusions:

• Urea-CTFs are highly stable and effective porous adsorbents for C2/C1 hydrocarbon separation.
• The material's performance in breakthrough simulations highlights its industrial potential as an energy-efficient alternative to cryogenic distillation.