posted on 2024-02-02, 19:36authored byFenglei Qiu, Ning Xu, Wenjing Wang, Kongzhao Su, Daqiang Yuan
As vital raw materials in the chemical industry, 2-methylfuran
(MeF) and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMeF) are commonly
produced as mixtures. The selective separation of MeF and DMeF is crucial yet challenging, with significant
industrial and economic implications. This study presents an energy-efficient
separation technique using a robust calix[4]resorcinarene-based supramolecular
porous organic cage (POC), CPOC-301, to effectively capture DMeF from an equimolar MeF/DMeF mixture
within 2 h, yielding 95.3% purity. The exceptional separation efficiency
stems from the superior structural stability of CPOC-301, maintaining its initial porous crystalline structure during separation.
Calculations show that CPOC-301 forms more C–H···π
hydrogen bonds with DMeF versus MeF, accounting
for its DMeF selectivity. CPOC-301 can be
easily regenerated via heat under a vacuum and reused for over five
adsorption–desorption cycles without significant performance
loss. This work introduces an approach to separate similar organic
molecules effectively using POC materials.