Construction of a Stable Crystalline Polyimide Porous Organic Framework for C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 and CO 2 /N 2 Separation

Utilization of porous materials for gas capture and separation is a hot research topic. Removal of acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) from ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) is important in the oil refining and petrochemical industries, since C 2 H 2 impurities deactivate the catalysts and terminate the polymerization of C 2 H 4 . Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission from power plants contributes to global climate change and threatens the survival of life on this planet. Herein, 2D crystalline polyimide porous organic framework PAF‐120, which was constructed by imidization of linear naphthalene‐1,4,5,8‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride and triangular 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenyl)benzene, showed significant thermal and chemical stability. Low‐pressure gas adsorption isotherms revealed that PAF‐120 exhibits good selective adsorption of C 2 H 2 over C 2 H 4 and CO 2 over N 2 . At 298 K and 1 bar, its C 2 H 2 and CO 2 selectivities were predicted to be 4.1 and 68.7, respectively. More importantly, PAF‐120 exhibits the highest selectivity for C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 separation among porous organic frameworks. Thus PAF‐120 could be a suitable candidate for selective separation of C 2 H 2 over C 2 H 4 and CO 2 over N 2 .