A Pillared-Layer Coordination Network for One-Step Ethylene Production from Ternary CO₂/C₂H₂/C₂H₄ Gas Mixture

One-step separation of ethylene (C₂H₄) from multicomponent mixtures poses significant challenges in the petrochemical industry due to the high similarity of involved gas molecules. Herein, we report a pillared-layer coordination network named Zn-fa-mtrz (H₂fa = fumaric acid; Hmtrz = 3-methyl-1,2,4-triazole) possessing pore surfaces decorated with methyl groups and electronegative N/O atoms. Molecular modeling reveals that the pore surface of Zn-fa-mtrz provides more and stronger multiple interaction sites to simultaneously enhance the adsorption affinity for CO₂ and C₂H₂ other than C₂H₄. The experimental and simulated breakthrough experiments demonstrate the ability to produce high-purity C₂H₄ (>99.97%) in one-step from ternary CO₂/C₂H₂/C₂H₄ gas mixtures.