High‐Efficiency Separation of n‐Hexane by a Dynamic Metal‐Organic Framework with Reduced Energy Consumption

The separation of n‐alkanes from their branched isomers is vitally important to improve octane rating of gasoline. To facilitate mass transfer, adsorptive separation is usually operated under high temperatures in industry, which require considerable energy. Herein, we present a kind of dynamic pillar‐layered MOF that exhibits self‐adjustable structure and pore space, a behavior induced by guest molecules. A combination of the flexibility of the framework with the commensurate adsorption for n‐hexane results in exceptional performance in separating hexane isomers. More significantly, lower temperature prompts the guest molecules to open the dynamic pores, which may provide a new perspective for optimized separation performance at lower temperatures with less energy consumption. A dynamic metal‐organic framework with breathing effect shows unique separation properties toward hexane isomers. A reversed relationship between uptake capacity and diffusion rate as a function of temperature caused by the structure dynamic provides a new perspective for optimized separation performance at lower temperatures and with less energy consumption.