Pore-Space Partition and Optimization for Propane-Selective High-Performance Propane/Propylene Separation.

The development of effective propane (CH)-selective adsorbents for the purification of propylene (CH) from CH/CH mixture is a promising alternative to replace the energy-intensive cryogenic distillation. However, few materials possess the dual desirable features of propane selectivity and high uptake capacity. Here, we report a family of pore-space-partitioned crystalline porous materials (CPM) with remarkable CH uptake capacity (up to 10.9 mmol/g) and the highly desirable yet uncommon CH selectivity (up to 1.54 at 0.1 bar and 1.44 at 1 bar). The selectivity-capacity synergy endows them with record-performing CH/CH separation potential (i.e., CH recovered from the mixture). Moreover, these CPMs exhibit outstanding properties including high stability, low regeneration energy, and multimodular chemical and geometrical tunability within the same isoreticular framework. The high CH/CH separation performance was further confirmed by the breakthrough experiments.