Layered MOF membranes modified with ionic liquid/AgBF4 composite for olefin/paraffin separation

Olefin/paraffin separation is one of the most important chemical process in petrochemical industry. Relative to currently used cryogenic distillation with high energy penalty, membrane-based separation has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption. MOF membranes have emerged as a promising candidate for gas separation owing to its uniform porous structures and diversified chemical components. However, the scarcity of reliable synthesis methods limits the application of MOF membranes for olefin/paraffin separation. Here, we propose the layered MOF membranes modified with ionic liquid/AgBF4 composite for olefin/paraffin separation, which exhibit impressive separation performances for mixed gases (C3H6 permeance: 129.8 +/- 40.4 GPU; C3H6/ C3H8 separation factor: 28.8 +/- 3.8; C2H4 permeance: 45.6 +/- 23.7 GPU; C2H4/C2H6 separation factor: 12.0 +/- 2.2). This work, avoiding a complicated de novo design of microstructure of membrane, demonstrates a facile but effective strategy to convert an "inert" membrane to olefin-selective one.