Supramolecular control of MOF pore properties for the tailored guest adsorption/separation applications

Because the adsorption/separation process plays a great role in chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, environmental protection and many other fields, it has received extensive concern in both scientific research and practical applications. However, due to the new requirements and specific applications, it is a great necessity and urgency to explore new-type porous materials or maximize the adsorption capacity and improve the separation efficiency through endowing the adsorbent functionality to enable its special interactions with the adsorbates. The crystalline metal–organic framework (MOF) materials have shown great potentials in gas/liquid phase capture and separation due to their enormous porosities, tunable void properties, and easier modification, etc. Although there are lots of excellent reviews about functional MOFs in different fields, this review introduces the influence of MOF pore properties on the capture and separation of tailored guest molecules from the control of the supramolecular interactions for the first time. Some specific strategies are thus presented to enhance the adsorption/separation performance, and the relationships of the supramolecular interactions are well discussed between the adsorbates and adsorbents. Finally, the applications of porous MOF materials in adsorption/separation are further prospected and provided by the recent relevant studies.