Dynamic separation of Xe and Kr by metal-organic framework and covalent-organic materials: a comparison with activated charcoal

We systematically investigate dynamic separation of Xe and Kr at room temperature using four representative porous materials (Cu-BTC, ZIF-8, COP-4 and activated carbon (AC)). Results indicate that among the four materials, Cu-BTC not only shows the highest retention volume per gram (V-g=788 mL g(-1), which is 1.8 times of activated carbon (436 mL g(-1))) under flowing condition, but also can separate 350 ppm Xe from 35 ppm Kr mixture in air with a high Xe/Kr selectivity of 8.6 at room temperature and 200 kPa, due to its suitable pore morphology, open metal sites, small side pockets in the framework. Moreover, the Cu-BTC also performs well on individual separation of Xe, Kr, CO2 from five-component gas mixture (Xe:Kr:CO2:Ar:N-2=1:1:1:1:0.5, V/V) and has the longest retention time for Xe (20 min) in gas chromatographic separation, suggesting that it is a good candidate for potential applications as polymeric sieves.