Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Turning defects in metal–organic frameworks into benefits for membrane separation

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

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Structure and performance of polycrystalline reo-UiO-66 membranes.

References

  1. 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.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. 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.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. 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.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. 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.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. 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.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

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

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

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

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00107-4

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing