Chem
ReviewMicroporous Metal-Organic Framework Materials for Gas Separation
The Bigger Picture
Gas is one of the fundamental states of matter, which is usually invisible, highly dispersed, and of low concentration; it easily creates mixtures and is thus difficult to handle, as exemplified by many important chemical commodities. Ten to fifteen percent of the world’s energy production has been used for separation and purification of industrial commodities through energy-intensive processes such as distillation. Adsorptive separation based on porous materials is a promising technology to lower the separation energy use. Compared to conventional porous materials such as activated carbon and zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a unique type of material with exceptional porosity, high modularity, and diverse functionality, showing great promise in addressing important gas separations. This review not only provides the updated status of MOFs for gas separation but also directs research endeavors to pursue better MOFs for practical applications.