Fluorinated electron gases (F-gases) are widely used
in semiconductor
manufacturing because of their unique plasma reactivity with silicon-based
semiconductor materials. However, the low conversion efficiency of
these F-gases in the plasma process makes the vent gases contain a
certain concentration of F-gases, which causes environmental pollution
and global warming. In this study, three ultramicroporous metal–organic
frameworks M3(HCOO)6 (M = Co, Ni, Mn) were prepared
for the separation and purification of F-gases through H...F interaction-induced
charge transfer on the pore surface. Impressive F-gas adsorption capacities
and record breakthrough selectivities for NF3/N2, CF4/N2, and SF6/N2 mixtures
were achieved in M3(HCOO)6 MOFs. Density-functional
theory (DFT) calculations and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation
studies demonstrated that the adsorption-induced charge exchange between
the F atom in F-gases and the H atom in HCOO– accounts for
the high performance of F-gases/N2 separation. Systematic
experimental investigations including equilibrium gas adsorption,
instant adsorption rates, and dynamic breakthrough experiments also
confirmed the efficient performance of M3(HCOO)6 MOFs for F-gas capture.