Enhanced Sieving of C2-Hydrocarbon from Methane by Fluoro-Functionalization of In-MOF with Robust Stability.

Developing efficient adsorbent materials is crucial for adsorption and separation to realize the purification of energy source and raw chemicals. Here, we report a novel and robust 3D In-based MOF built up with fluorine-functionalized ligands, QMOF-2F, with improved separation properties of C2-light hydrocarbons over methane at room temperature respect isoreticular non-fluorinated MOF. QMOF-2F shows a remarkable chemical stability in different solvents, including water, and pH (2-12). DFT calculations support the key role of fluorine-functionalization on the improved performance of QMOF-2F.