Post-Synthetic Modification of Zirconium Metal–Organic Frameworks for Adsorption and Separation of Light Hydrocarbons

Different functionalization of MOFs can lead to different structure–activity relationships. Flexible ligands make it easier and more diverse to assemble MOFs. The auxiliary ligand fumarate (FA) was inserted successfully into PCN-207 because of the flexibility of the primary linker and unsaturated Zr₆ cluster via the post-modification method. Moreover, the successfully synthesized (4,10)-connected stable PCN-207-FA exhibited excellent thermal/chemical stability and better adsorption/separation performance of light hydrocarbons than that of PCN-207 and PCN-207-BDC, which provide guidance for inserting multiple ligands into MOFs and reveal the importance of structure–activity relationships.