Dense Packing of Acetylene in a Stable and Low-Cost Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient C H /CO Separation.

Porous materials for C H /CO separation mostly suffer from high regeneration energy, poor stability, or high cost that largely dampen their industrial implementation. A desired adsorbent should have an optimal balance between excellent separation performance, high stability, and low cost. We herein report a stable, low-cost, and easily scaled-up aluminum MOF (CAU-10-H) for highly efficient C H /CO separation. The suitable pore confinement in CAU-10-H can not only provide multipoint binding interactions with C H but also enable the dense packing of C H inside the pores. This material exhibits one of the highest C H storage densities of 392 g L and highly selective adsorption of C H over CO at ambient conditions, achieved by a low C H adsorption enthalpy (27 kJ mol ). Breakthrough experiments confirm its exceptional separation performance for C H /CO mixtures, affording both large C H uptake of 3.3 mmol g and high separation factor of 3.4. CAU-10-H achieves the benchmark balance between separation performance, stability, and cost for C H /CO separation.