Cu-MOFs with Rich Open Metal and F Sites for Separation of C2H2from CO2and CH4

Herein, we used the 4-fluoro-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3,4′,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3fbptc) ligand to design and construct a new metal–organic framework (MOF), [Cu3(fbptc)2(H2O)3]·3NMP (1), which possesses rich accessible metal sites and F functional groups in the porous walls and shows high uptake for C2H2(119.3 cm3g–1) and significant adsorption selectivity for C2H2over CH4(14.4) and CO2(3.6) at 298 K and 100 kPa. In particular, for the gas mixtures of C2H2–CH4and C2H2–CO2, the MOF reveals large breakthrough time ratios (C2H2/CH4= 13, C2H2/CO2= 5.9), which are particularly prominent in dynamic breakthrough experiments, also confirming the excellent potential for the practical separation of C2H2from two-component mixtures (C2H2–CH4and C2H2–CO2) and even three-component mixtures (C2H2–CO2–CH4).