A [Th₈Co₈] Nanocage-Based Metal-Organic Framework with Extremely Narrow Window but Flexible Nature Enabling Dual-Sieving Effect for Both Isotope and Isomer Separation

The synthesis of nanoporous materials that display a combination of molecular sieving (MS) and quantum sieving (QS) effects is still a challenging task. In this work, we have demonstrated the synthesis of a nanocaged metal-organic framework (MOF), ECUT-8, that has a dual-sieving capability. ECUT-8 afforded H₂/D₂ isotope separation due to its extremely narrow window size (3.0 Å), resulting in QS. Further, the framework flexibility of ECUT-8 was exploited for the separation of butane and hexane isomers due to its MS effect. Other desirable features of ECUT-8 include high thermal, water, and chemical stability, making it suitable for practical application. Herein, these results open up an avenue to design the effects of coexistence of multiple sieving in one material.