Highly Robust Microporous Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Ethylene Purification under Dry and Humid Conditions

Two C₂ H₆ -selective metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbents with ultrahigh stability, high surface areas, and suitable pore size have been designed and synthesized for one-step separation of ethane/ethylene (C₂ H₆ /C₂ H₄ ) under humid conditions to produce polymer-grade pure C₂ H₄ . Experimental results reveal that these two MOFs not only adsorb a high amount of C₂ H₆ but also display good C₂ H₆ /C₂ H₄ selectivity verified by fixed bed column breakthrough experiments. Most importantly, the good water stability and hydrophobic pore environments make these two MOFs capable of efficiently separating C₂ H₆ /C₂ H₄ under humid conditions, exhibiting the benchmark performance among all reported adsorbents for separation of C₂ H₆ /C₂ H₄ under humid conditions. Moreover, the affinity sites and their static adsorption energies were successfully revealed by single crystal data and computation studies. Adsorbents described in this work can be used to address major chemical industrial challenges.