image: This work leverages aperture size-electrostatic potential matching in a robust and scalable MOF to achieve selective and reversible binding of C3F6 through hydrogen bonding while efficiently excluding larger C3F8 molecules. This innovative material overcomes the typical trade-off between low-pressure capacity and selectivity observed in traditional adsorbents.
Credit: ©Science China Press
This study is led by Prof. Zongbi Bao (College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of ministry of Education, Zhejiang University). Both experiments including samples preparation, structural characterizations and separation performance evaluation and DFT calculations were performed.
The sequestration of trace hexafluoropropylene (C3F6) is a critical yet formidable task in the production of high-purity perfluoropropane (C3F8), an important perfluorinated electronic specialty gas (F-gas) in the advanced electronics industry. The adoption of adsorbent-based technology emerges as a promising solution to alleviate high energy costs inherent in existing industrial practices. However, conventional physisorbents often struggle with uneven, low-pressure uptake and compromises in selectivity due to weak sorbate-sorbent interactions.
To address these challenges, the research team led by Prof. Zongbi Bao from Zhejiang University has proposed an effecitive separation strategy inspired by Coulomb's law and the charge balance in molecular imprinting technology. This entails the utilization of aperture size-electrostatic potential matching in a robust metal-organic framework (Al-PMA) to facilitate selective, reversible binding of C3F6 via hydrogen bonding, while concurrently excluding larger C3F8 molecules. This work demonstrates that Al-PMA can generate 5N C3F8 from C3F6/C3F8 mixtures, achieving a record-high C3F6/C3F8 selectivity surpassing 10,000 at 298 K. Remarkably, Al-PMA effectively addresses the common trade-off between low-pressure capacity and selectivity seen in conventional adsorbents. It also exhibits high stability and scalable green synthesis, meeting crucial industrial standards and sustainability, thereby underscoring its potential for real-world adsorption-based separation processes.
See the article:
Deep purification of perfluorinated electronic specialty gas with a scalable metal-organic framework featuring tailored positive potential traps
Journal
Science Bulletin