RESUMEN
The primary goal of this work is to study the adsorption of a wide range of hydrocarbon adsorbates in the Al-fumarate metal-organic framework in order to identify and explore trends in adsorption behaviour that can be related to the sorbate's molecular properties and as well as the properties of this MOF. The pulse chromatographic technique was used to study the adsorption properties of C5-C8 linear, branched, cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons in vapour phase at low coverage and at high temperatures (150-250 °C). Chromatograms of alkanes having the same number of carbon atoms (C5-C8) clearly show that the linear alkane is retained the longest over its branched and cyclic isomers. Moreover, xylene isomers are also clearly separated by Al-fumarate, with retention times increasing in the order: ortho-xylene < meta-xylene < para-xylene. Differences in adsorption enthalpy of more than 10 kJ mol(-1) between linear alkanes and their di/tri-branched or cyclo-alkane isomers were observed, clearly showing that steric effects imposed by the pore structure of the adsorbent cause the difference in adsorption between linear alkanes and their isomers. In conclusion, Al-fumarate behaves as a shape selective material with respect to structural isomers of linear alkanes, with properties resembling those of medium pore size zeolites.
RESUMEN
In this experimental study, the adsorption behavior of the ZIF-68 heterolinked zeolitic imidazolate framework has been explored. Vapor phase adsorption isotherms of linear C1-C6 alcohols, C6 alkane isomers, aromatics (benzene, toluene, xylene isomers, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, and 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene), and polar adsorbates (water, acetonitrile, and acetone) are reported and discussed. The complex pore structure of ZIF-68, with two one-dimensional channels, each with a different polarity, displays an overall hydrophobic character. Its two-pore system results in S-shaped isotherms for small polar adsorbates (small alcohols, acetone, and acetonitrile), while longer alcohols and nonpolar molecules, such as aromatics and C6 alkane isomers, lead to type I adsorption isotherms. Bulky molecules, with a kinetic diameter significantly larger than the pore windows, are adsorbed in large amounts, which gave reason to think that this ZIF-68 material has a certain degree of framework flexibility to enlarge the free aperture of the channels. Besides, diffusion coefficients from vapor phase uptake and infrared experiments point to a different adsorption mechanism for polar and nonpolar adsorbates. Liquid phase adsorption experiments demonstrated the separation of alcohol mixtures (ethanol/1-butanol) at low concentration from water, with a clear preference for 1-butanol.
RESUMEN
The isolation and separation of phenolic compounds from aqueous backgrounds is challenging and will gain in importance as we become more dependent on phenolics from lignocellulose-derived bio-oil to meet our needs for aromatic compounds. Herein, we show that highly stable and hydrophobic Zr metal-organic frameworks of the MIL-140 type are effective adsorbent materials for the separation of different phenolics and far outperform other classes of porous solids (silica, zeolites, carbons). The mechanism of the hydroquinone-catechol separation on MIL-140C was studied in detail by combining experimental results with computational techniques. Although the differences in adsorption enthalpy between catechol and hydroquinone are negligible, the selective uptake of catechol in MIL-140C is explained by its dense π-π stacking in the pores. The interplay of enthalpic and entropic effects allowed separation of a complex, five-compound phenol mixture through breakthrough over a MIL-140C column. Unlike many other metal-organic frameworks, MIL-140C is remarkably stable and maintained structure, porosity and performance after five adsorption-desorption cycles.