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Updated: Oct 27, 2025

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Published on: July 18, 2017
Orthogonal-array dynamic molecular sieving of propylene/propane mixtures
Heng Zeng1,2, Mo Xie1,2, Ting Wang1,2
1College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Rigid molecular sieving materials work well for small molecules with the complete exclusion of large ones1-3, and molecules with matching physiochemical properties may be separated using dynamic molecular sieving materials4-6. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)7-9 are known for their precise control of structures and functions on a molecular level10-15. However, the rational design of local flexibility in the MOF framework for dynamic molecular sieving remains difficult and challenging. Here we report a MOF material (JNU-3a) featuring one-dimension channels with embedded molecular pockets opening to propylene (C3H6) and propane (C3H8) at substantially different pressures. The dynamic nature of the pockets is revealed by single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation upon exposure of JNU-3a to an atmosphere of C3H6 or C3H8. Breakthrough experiments demonstrate that JNU-3a can realize high-purity C3H6 (≥99.5%) in a single adsorption-desorption cycle from an equimolar C3H6/C3H8 mixture over a broad range of flow rates, with a maximum C3H6 productivity of 53.5 litres per kilogram. The underlying separation mechanism-orthogonal-array dynamic molecular sieving-enables both large separation capacity and fast adsorption-desorption kinetics. This work presents a next-generation sieving material design that has potential for applications in adsorptive separation.
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