Selectivity Adsorption and Photoswitching Low Energy Release of C₂H₂ in a Diarylethene Metal–Organic Framework

The separation as well as low energy storage and release of C 2 H 2 remains a major challenge in industry. The use of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is an appealing path to achieve effective separation or storage of C 2 H 2; however, no obvious report processes high capture and separation performance, as well as low energy release of C 2 H 2 simultaneously, because of the contradictions in adsorption thermodynamics. This work successfully developed an effective photoisomerization strategy and achieved C 2 H 2 high selectivity adsorption and photoswitchable low energy release simultaneously in a proof-of-concept adiarylethene functional MOF [Zn 2 (SDC) 2 (BPMTC), denoted as 1 ]. The pores in 1 with multiple functional sites enhance the interactions with C 2 H 2 molecules and endowing significant selectivity for C 2 H 2 over CO 2 . An unprecedented pore size tuning originating from the framework photoisomeric induced by the photoswitchable diarylethene unit resulted in low-energy-cost C 2 H 2 desorption. This finding will inspire design and synthesis of MOFs for highly efficient high capture and separation performance, as well as low energy release of C 2 H 2 .