Amide-Functionalized In-MOF for Effective Hydrocarbon Separation and CO2 Catalytic Fixation

Energy saving and emission reduction have always been the goal of separation and catalysis pursued in industrial production. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are leading porous crystal materials with unique advantages in these fields. Based on an amide-modified ligand 5-(ethyl oxamate)-isophthalic acid (H2EtL), a new porous indium-organic framework (Me2NH2)1.5In1.5L2·2DMF·2H2O (1) was synthesized and structurally characterized. The unique porous environment gives it dual functional advantages in separation and catalysis. At room temperature, 1 possesses excellent adsorption capacities for C2 hydrocarbons and CO2, showing good separation behaviors for C2 hydrocarbons/CO2 on CH4 and C2H2 on CO2, which is conducive to efficient purification of CH4 and C2H2 confirmed by the breakthrough experiment. Meanwhile, catalytic results indicate that 1 can be used as a good catalyst for effective fixation of CO2 under mild conditions to form cyclic carbonates.