Metal–organic frameworks are promising materials for use as sustainable membrane technology. However, their use for liquid-phase separation is limited. We developed a metal–organic framework with topological defects to build membranes with high performance for molecular separation in methanol. The efficient and durable sieving of molecules through membrane modules indicates their potential for refining chemical products.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References
Sholl, D. S. & Lively, R. P. Seven chemical separations to change the world. Nature 532, 435–437 (2016). A comment article that highlights the importance of membrane technology in improving chemical separation processes.
Li, S. et al. Hydrophobic polyamide nanofilms provide rapid transport for crude oil separation. Science 377, 1555–1561 (2022). This paper reports the feasibility of molecular separation membranes in the petrochemical industry.
Denny, M. S. Jr, Moreton, J. C., Benz, L. & Cohen, S. M. Metal–organic frameworks for membrane-based separations. Nat. Rev. Mater. 1, 16078 (2016). A review article that highlights the application of MOFs in membrane separations.
Feng, X. et al. Creation of exclusive artificial cluster defects by selective metal removal in the (Zn, Zr) mixed-metal UiO-66. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 143, 21511–21518 (2021). This paper reports the creation of missing-cluster defects in UiO-66 through a bimetallic method.
Shearer, G. C. et al. Tuned to perfection: ironing out the defects in metal–organic framework UiO-66. Chem. Mater. 26, 4068–4071 (2014). This paper reports the temperature-dependent control over defects in UiO-66.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Shi, X. et al. Selective liquid-phase molecular sieving via thin metal–organic framework membranes with topological defects. Nat. Chem. Eng. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00096-4 (2024).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Turning defects in metal–organic frameworks into benefits for membrane separation. Nat Chem Eng 1, 508–509 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00107-4
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00107-4