A Layered Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework with C3H6-Preferred Pores for Efficient One-Step Purification of Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) Products

Separation of methanol-to-olefins (MTO) products to obtain high-purity C2H4 and C3H6 is of great importance, since it provides an alternative process for such important industrial raw materials. However, developing adsorbents with high C2H4/C3H6 selectivity and productivity remains challenging. Herein, we report an ultrastable layered hydrogen-bonded framework (HOF-NBDA), which features C3H6 preferred pore with multiple interlaminar interactions with C3H6. It delivers an ultrahigh C3H6 uptake (3.6 mmol g(-1)) at 10 kPa, while absorbs only 0.3 mmol g(-1) C2H4 and shows a high C2H4/C3H6 selectivity (11.1). Experimental breakthroughs show that HOF-NBDA can efficiently separate C3H6/C2H4 (50/50, v/v) at different flow rates, temperatures, as well as relative humidities and provides a high C2H4 productivity (5.7 mol kg(-1), purity >= 99.95%). Meanwhile, 4.5 mol kg(-1) C3H6 (purity >= 99.5%) can also be collected during the desorption process. Additionally, thanks to ultrahigh stability, good scalability, and easy regeneration, HOF-NBDA is considered as a promising material for one-step energy-efficient separation of MTO products.