New Paradigms in Porous Framework Materials for Acetylene Storage and Separation

Abstract

Acetylene is an important precursor in the petrochemical, plastics and electronic industries, as well as the prominent fuel for welding and metal cutting. The high flammability and explosive nature of acetylene, however hinder its safe storage and transportation. Porous materials are highly promising for acetylene storage and as they can provide strong binding interactions and an optimal pore environment. Furthermore, high selectivity and separation can be achieved for acetylene over other gases such as CO 2 and small hydrocarbons. In this review, we divulge into the recent advancements and paradigms in acetylene storage and separation with a focus on porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). An overview of the benchmark materials for acetylene storage and separation, along with some recent developments in the strategies to balance the trade-off between the uptake capacity and selectivity is provided. The approaches of designing small pores and highly functionalized pore environments for strong binding with the acetylene adsorbate; along with the pore space partition, window space directed assembly and inverse CO 2 / C 2 H 2 adsorption for the separation of acetylene from CO 2 , CH 4 , C 2 H 4 and other hydrocarbons are reviewed to provide a summary and help further augment the research in this direction.

Nitrogen-rich porous organic cages with high acetylene storage and separation performance

“…[5][6][7] In this region, porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have rapidly developed. 8,9 For instances, FJI-H8 and SNNU-98, reported by Hong and Zhai groups, respectively, have realized gravimetric C 2 H 2 uptake values more than 220 cm 3 g −1 under ambient conditions. 10,11 Furthermore, SNNU-45, a MOF prepared by the Zhai group, has demonstrated the separation of C 2 H 2 /CO 2 with breakthrough time up to 80 min g −1 .…”

Molecular Mechanisms behind Acetylene Adsorption and Selectivity in Functional Porous Materials

“…A comprehensive review on using MOFs for the separation and purification of light hydrocarbons including methane-containing mixtures, alkynes/alkenes, alkanes/alkenes, C 5 À C 6 À C 7 normal/isoalkanes, and C 8 alkylaromatics was published recently; [6] and more recently, other reviews focusing on using MOFs for C 2 H 2 storage and separation were also published. [7,8] These reviews were structured and sectioned mainly by the species of the gaseous mixtures and provided detailed description of the performance of each MOF. Here, in this mini-review, without chronologically iterating all these examples or producing league tables for selectivity and adsorption capacity of C 2 H 2 , we hope to analyse and categorise the molecular interactions between C 2 H 2 and the functional porous sorbents, hence to interpretate the mechanisms behind the observed performance to provide a toolbox for future material design.…”

“…As a type of highly designable porous materials, MOFs exhibit unique advantages in selective adsorption of gaseous species. A comprehensive review on using MOFs for the separation and purification of light hydrocarbons including methane‐containing mixtures, alkynes/alkenes, alkanes/alkenes, C 5 −C 6 −C 7 normal/isoalkanes, and C 8 alkylaromatics was published recently; [6] and more recently, other reviews focusing on using MOFs for C 2 H 2 storage and separation were also published [7, 8] . These reviews were structured and sectioned mainly by the species of the gaseous mixtures and provided detailed description of the performance of each MOF.…”

Inverse CO2/C2H2 Separation with MFU‐4 and Selectivity Reversal via Postsynthetic Ligand Exchange

“…[1,2] Consequently, there has been considerable interest in developing more efficient and environmentally friendly C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation technologies. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Adsorptive separation offers promise as an energy efficient alternative but requires adsorbents with high selectivity and productivity. The greater polarizability and quadrupole moment of C 2 H 2 in comparison to CO 2 generally elicits a stronger adsorbent affinity for the former.…”

“…Liquid extraction and cryogenic distillation remain the primary means of obtaining high‐purity C 2 H 2 in industrial processes [1, 2] . Consequently, there has been considerable interest in developing more efficient and environmentally friendly C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation technologies [3–8] . Adsorptive separation offers promise as an energy efficient alternative but requires adsorbents with high selectivity and productivity.…”