Recently, the Ming-Hua Zeng team from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology) at Shantou University made new progress in the research field of "MOF Glasses Fabrication and Light Hydrocarbons Separation". The related research findings were published under the title "Multivariate Sulfate-Pillared Metal Azolate Frameworks with Tunable Flexibility for CO2 Capture from C2 Hydrocarbons" in the top journal "Angewandte Chemie International Edition" (impact factor 17.6) in the field of inorganic chemistry.

Authors:

Hanze Wang, Weixiang Zuo, Zhe Wang, Wentao Jiang, Shan Liu, Tengwu Zeng, Wei Lei, Zheng Yin, Ming-Hua Zeng*, and Yue-Biao Zhang*

Paper information:

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202512425.

Paper link:

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202512425

English abstract of the paper:

A series of sulfate-pillared metal azolate frameworks (MAFs) were synthesized via a multivariate (MTV) strategy to systematically tune framework flexibility and gas separation performance. The monotonic sulfate-pillared MAF, Zn2(daTz)₂SO₄ (where daTz = 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazolate), exhibits pronounced structural dynamics upon adaptive guest inclusions, driven by triazolate linker rotation and reversible Zn─O bonds rearrangement, enabling dynamic pore modulation for efficient CO₂, C₂H₄, and C₂H₆ uptakes. Incorporation of an asymmetric, non-amino linker effectively suppresses framework flexibility by reducing intraframework hydrogen bonding, resulting in a locked structure with enhanced selectivity for CO₂ over light hydrocarbons. Gas adsorption and breakthrough experiments demonstrate that the MTV approach enabled structural control, leading to exceptional CO₂/C₂H₆ and CO₂/C₂H₄ separation performance. Notably, Zn2(mTz)_0.74(daTz)_1.26SO₄ (where mTz = 3-methyl-1,2,4-triazolate) achieves 17-fold enhancement in ethylene purification. Comprehensive structural analyses and interaction energy calculations reveal the molecular basis of flexibility regulation, offering valuable insights for designing next-generation porous materials for selective gas separation.