We evaluate the potential of microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) to act as the stationary phase in liquid chromatographic separations. MCPs derived from carboxylates coordinated to copper (HKUST-1) and zinc (MOF-5) were studied. The shape and size selective separation of organic compounds including benzene, ethylbenzene, styrene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene, 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene, and 1,3,5-tris(4-bromophenyl)benzene was performed, and in most cases excellent separation was achieved based on a combination of molecular sieving and adsorption effects.

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Crystalline microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) are highly ordered, porous materials that have recently seen increasing attention in the literature. Whereas gas phase separations using MCPs have been extensively studied and reviewed, studies on applications in the liquid phase have lagged behind. This review details the work that has previously been reported on liquid phase separations using MCPs. Both enantioselective separations and separations of complex mixtures have been achieved using either adsorptive selectivities or size exclusion effects. Molecules that have been adsorbed include those as small as water to large organic dyes. In many cases, MCPs outperform their zeolite and activated carbon counterparts both kinetically and in efficiency of separation. The future outlook for the field is discussed in the context of current challenges in separations technologies.