High C2 hydrocarbons capture and selective C2/C1 separation in A Tb(III)-Organic framework

Abstract By employing a tripod rigid ligand with six coordination sites, 4,4’,4”-(pyridine-2,4,6-triyl)tribenzoic acid (H6PTA), a microporous terbium(III)-organic framework, [(Me)2NH2]1.5[Tb1.5(PTA)]·9H2O (1) has been synthesized under the solvothermal condition. Structural analysis demonstrates that 1 is a 3D anionic framework based on two kinds of Tb(III) units, which presents a rare framework constructed from ternary secondary building units (SBUs) and shows a new (4,5,6)-connected topology. Gas adsorption measurements reveal that 1 exhibits the significant C2H2 and C2H4 adsorption capacity but negligible uptake of CH4, which makes 1 as a promising adsorbent for C2H2/CH4 and C2H4/CH4 separation.