Tailorable Multi-Modular Pore-Space-Partitioned Vanadium Metal-Organic Frameworks for Gas Separation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Porous vanadium metal-organic frameworks (V-MOFs) are scarce, limiting structural and property insights.
• Existing V-MOFs offer limited tunability for advanced gas storage and separation applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an extensible family of V-MOFs with tailorable pore geometry and properties.
• To explore the potential of these new V-MOFs for selective gas storage and separation.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of V-MOFs utilizing a tri-modular pore-partitioned platform with inter-modular synergy.
• Characterization of structural features, including tunable c/a ratios, pore sizes (5.0–10.9 Å), and surface areas (820–2964 m² g⁻¹).
• Evaluation of gas sorption and separation performance for C₂H₂/CO₂, C₂H₆/C₂H₄, and C₃H₈/C₃H₆ mixtures.

Main Results:

• Achieved tunable pore shapes (c/a ratio from 0.612 to 1.258) and properties.
• Demonstrated high C₂H₂/CO₂ selectivity (3.3–11) and uptake (up to 182 cm³ g⁻¹).
• Exhibited near-record C₂H₆ uptake (166.8 cm³ g⁻¹) and promising C₃H₈ selectivity (254.9 cm³ g⁻¹ uptake) for C₃H₈/C₃H₆ separation.

Conclusions:

• The developed V-MOFs offer a versatile platform for tailored gas storage and separation.
• Tunable pore characteristics enable efficient separation of industrially relevant gas mixtures.
• The V-MOF family shows significant promise for advancing gas separation technologies.