Tailoring Pore Environments in Metal–Organic Framework for C₂H₂/CO₂ Separation and Organic Dyes Removal

The development of effective physical adsorbent for simultaneous C2H2/CO2 separation and organic dyes removal is crucial for environmental remediation. Herein, we report a multifunctional anionic metal-organic framework (MOF), SDU-CP-4, featuring partitioned pore spaces engineered through the cooperative action of polar aromatic microenvironments and a symmetrically matched partitioning agent. This design enhances host-guest interactions and produces dual microporous cages within an anionic framework, collectively enabling exceptional performance in both gas separation and dye adsorption. SDU-CP-4 exhibits preferential uptake of C2H2 over CO2 with an IAST selectivity of 4.8, as further confirmed by breakthrough experiments. Meanwhile, SDU-CP-4 shows remarkable adsorption capacities toward cationic dyes, achieving up to 2230 mg g-1 for safranine T and 1404 mg g-1 for rhodamine B, outperforming most reported MOFs. These results indicate SDU-CP-4 as a robust multifunctional adsorbent with strong potential for gas purification and dyes removal applications.