Metallocene-anchor inducing oriented MOF membrane for helium separation

Ju Bai, Luqi Xiao, Xiangping Zhang, Hongyan Liu, Can Wang, Lili Gong, Shuangjiang Luo, Yihan Zhu, Linglong Shan (), Hongwei Fan () and Suojiang Zhang ()
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Ju Bai: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Luqi Xiao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiangping Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hongyan Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Can Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lili Gong: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shuangjiang Luo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yihan Zhu: Zhejiang University of Technology
Linglong Shan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hongwei Fan: Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Suojiang Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Oriented metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes hold significant promise for advanced helium (He) separation, but their synthesis remains a challenging task. We report the preparation of an oriented MOF membrane using metal-organic polyhedra (MOP) fragment as metallocene-anchor. The metallocene-anchor induces the growth of homoligand Zr-MOF along the c-axis, resulting in the {001}-oriented structure. This orientation increases the transition energy barrier of methane (CH4), enabling precise He/CH4 separation with a selectivity of 77.3 and a He permeance of 695.1 GPU. The membrane exhibits exceptional robustness, demonstrating resistance to high-pressure conditions (up to 40 bar), thermal shock (−25 °C to 85 °C), and long-term stability (1000 h). The separation performance surpasses that of existing MOF membranes and exceeds the Robeson upper bound. Additionally, a three-stage membrane process enables the concentration of low He concentrations of 0.3% up to 99.9%, highlighting the potential of membranes for helium extraction. The successful fabrication of various oriented MOF membranes indicates the universality of this strategy.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64533-5

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