New materials can make plastic manufacturing more energy efficient
â–² This iron-based metal organic framework is modified by peroxy groups (red and green), which can capture ethane (blue molecules) and let ethylene (peach molecules) pass freely. This may provide a more efficient and low-cost method for the purification of ethylene.
"Science" (Science) magazine reported that a new type of purification materials developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), etc., may significantly reduce the environmental costs of plastic manufacturing. The new material is a metal-organic framework (MOF), which can "capture" the key component of plastic-ethylene from the mixture, and low energy consumption.
Previous research has proved that MOF can be used to separate gasoline with different octane numbers and accelerate complex chemical reactions. But whether MOF can be used to separate ethylene is still in doubt. The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and China Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) and other studies at NIST ’s Neutron Research Center (NCNR) have given definitive answers.
Polyethylene is the most common type of plastic. It is a polymer compound made of ethylene. Ethylene must be highly purified before it can be used for production. But the industrial technology for separating ethylene from other hydrocarbons is a process with high energy consumption under severe conditions (-100 ℃). From a microscopic perspective, MOF looks like a semi-finished product of a skyscraper. It has a strong adsorption effect on certain hydrocarbon molecules. Therefore, selecting the appropriate MOF to separate the hydrocarbon mixture can achieve a high degree of purification. However, how to find this "appropriate" MOF is not an easy task. NCNR scientist Zhou Wei said: "Selective adsorption is difficult to achieve. We found that most MOFs tend to capture ethylene. This runs counter to the original intention of the research."
The research team spent years solving this problem. In 2012, another NCNR research team found that the special framework of MOF-74 can well separate a variety of hydrocarbons including ethylene. Subsequently, the researchers' inspiration from biochemistry eventually led them in the right direction. The research team leader, Professor Chen Banglin of UTSA, said: "Finding a way to break a strong carbon-hydrogen bond is a major issue in the field of chemistry. We found that compounds containing iron peroxide can break this chemical bond." The team modified MOF-74 and found that it could adsorb ethane from the mixture. Next, the researchers used the neutron diffraction technique to analyze the atomic structure of the new MOF-74 and determined the structural characteristics of its surface energy adsorption ethane-this is the key to the success of the technology. Professor Chen believes that the study of the adsorption mechanism is very important, it means the degree of credibility. Modifying the surface of MOF-74 with other groups is also a promising research direction.
The researchers plan to further increase the selectivity of the materials to achieve their industrial application.
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