Potential of microporous metal-​organic frameworks for separation of hydrocarbon mixtures

In the process industries, the sepn. of mixts. of hydrocarbons is important both for the prepn. of feedstocks and for use as end products. The constituents, hydrocarbons, are either aliph. or arom., satd. or unsatd., with a large variation in the no. of carbon atoms. Using microporous metal-​org. frameworks (MOFs)​, a no. of different sepn. strategies can be employed to achieve the desired sepn. performance. The strategies include selective binding with the metal atoms of the framework, exploiting differences in mol. packing efficiencies within the ordered pore structures, utilizing selectivities based on the framework flexibility and gate-​opening mechanisms, and mol. sieving. Various strategies are discussed in this article, along with perspectives for future research and development for improving the sepn. performance.