Reduced-Symmetry Ligand Constructed Y-Based Metal–Organic Framework for Inverse Propane/Propylene Separation

The rational design of organic ligands is crucial in the development of new metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to enrich the structural diversity and application potential of MOFs. For example, tuning the ligand symmetry has been widely utilized in the construction of new MOFs with specific properties. Herein, a novel Y-based MOF (denoted as NU-60) was generated by selecting a tritopic carboxylate ligand with reduced symmetry. Compared with its tritopic counterpart with relatively high symmetry, NU-60 has a new (3,12)-connected topology, highlighting the power of the ligand desymmetrization method to enrich MOF structural diversity. Gas adsorption studies demonstrated that NU-60 is a propane-selective adsorbent for efficient propane/propylene separation.