Credit: Rutgers University
Scheme of topologically directed design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for separating molecular mixtures. By using linker molecules with different aspect ratios (biphenyltetracarboxylate, bptc; azobenzene-tetracarboxylate, abtc), scientists obtained two robust zirconium-MOFs with different structures. The results demonstrate highly efficient separations of light hydrocarbons used in fuel production through selective size exclusion (“sieving”) and preferential adsorption, respectively.