A Self‐Assembled Capsule for Propylene/Propane Separation
Chuang‐Wei Zhou, Xue‐Zhi Wang, Mo Xie, Ri‐Qin Xia, Dong Luo, Zhao‐Xia Lian, Guo‐Hong Ning, Weigang Lü, Xiao‐Ping Zhou, Dan Li
Abstract
Abstract The development of energy‐saving technology for the efficient separation of olefin and paraffin is highly important for the chemical industry. Herein, we report a self‐assembled Fe 4 L 6 capsule containing a hydrophobic cavity, which can be used to encapsulate and separate propylene/propane. The successful encapsulation of propylene and propane by the Fe 4 L 6 cage in a water solution was documented by NMR spectroscopy. The binding constants K for the Fe 4 L 6 cage toward propylene and propane were determined to be (5.0±0.1)×10 3 M −1 and (2.1±0.7)×10 4 M −1 in D 2 O at 25 °C, respectively. Experiments and theoretical studies revealed that the cage exhibited multiple weak interactions with propylene and propane. The polymer‐grade propylene (>99.5 %) can be obtained from a mixture of propylene and propane by using the Fe 4 L 6 cage as a separation material in a U‐shaped glass tube. This work provides a new strategy for the separation of olefin/paraffin.