Well-Dispersed MOF-5 on The Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Coated Random Lamellas of Clinoptilolites for Adsorptive Separation Performance of CO₂, CH₄, and N₂

The MOF-5@clinoptilolite (MOF@CP) composites are successfully synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) for adsorption separation of CO2/CH4, CO2/N-2, and CH4/N-2. The effects of the PVP amounts on the dispersity of MOF-5 on CP random lamellas of the MOF@CPs are evaluated via various characterizations. Meanwhile, their single-component gas adsorption isotherms, breakthrough experiments, and cycling test are measured. The results elucidate that the used PVP amount has a significant influence on the particle size and the uniformity of MOF-5 dispersed on CP random lamellas. The MOF-5-loaded amount in MOF@CP is estimated to be up to 42.52 wt.%. Especially, the surface fractal evolutions indicated the surfaces of MOF@CP became from rough to smooth with the increase of PVP. The CO2/CH4, CO2/N-2, and CH4/N-2 selectivity factors of MOF@CP are higher than that of CP, displaying a better separation performance. Their cycling test revealed that MOF@CPs could be used repetitively, highlighting efficiency for CO2 and CH4 separation. Meanwhile, the MOF-5@CP stability under moisture is preliminarily investigated, showing higher moisture resistance stability than MOF-5. Additionally, the grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated the adsorption separation mechanism of the prepared MOF@CPs.