Interplay of metalloligand and organic ligand to tune micropores within isostructural mixed-metal organic frameworks (M'MOFs) for their highly selective separation of chiral and achiral small molecules

Four porous isostructural mixed-metal-organic frameworks (M′MOFs) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The pores within these M′MOFs are systematically tuned by the interplay of both the metalloligands and organic ligands which have enabled us not only to direct their highly selective separation of chiral alcohols 1-phenylethanol (PEA), 2-butanol (BUT), and 2-pentanol (2-PEN) with the highest ee up to 82.4% but also to lead highly selective separation of achiral C2H2/C2H4 separation. The potential application of these M′MOFs for the fixed bed pressure swing adsorption (PSA) separation of C2H2/C2H4 has been further examined and compared by the transient breakthrough simulations in which the purity requirement of 40 ppm in the outlet gas can be readily fulfilled by the fixed bed M′MOF-4a adsorber at ambient conditions.