Cages for Chemical Separations

精细化学品被用作我们所依赖的许多产品的基石，从药品到塑料。这些分子是从通常来自石油的混合物中分离出来的。这种分离过程可能具有挑战性，通常涉及蒸馏，这一过程需要大量的能量输入。该项目的一个关键目标是开发一种新的、更节能的金属有机笼分离技术。众所周知，这些笼子可以根据大小和形状封装各种小的有机化合物。目前的项目将开发新的方法来编程这些笼子的行为，这样它们就会在光和热的刺激下拾取并释放这些“客人”分子。然后，这些笼子将被内置到系统中，使笼子能够从原料（如石油）中拾取高价值分子。笼子和货物将被泵入一个空间，在那里它们的分子货物以纯净的形式释放出来，允许笼子在一个闭环净化过程中被回收。我们预计，与目前的方法相比，这一过程将以更高的能量效率和更低的成本分离有价值的分子。

Fine chemicals are used as building blocks for many of the products that we rely upon, from pharmaceuticals to plastics. These molecules are isolated from mixtures that are often derived from petroleum. This isolation process can be challenging, generally involving distillation, a process which requires substantial energy input. A key aim of this project is to develop a new and more energy-efficient separation technology involving metal-organic cages. These cages are known to encapsulate various small organic compounds based on size and shape. The current project will develop new means of programming the behaviour of these cages, so that they will pick up and release these 'guest' molecules in response to the stimuli of light and heat. These cages will then be built into systems that enable cages to pick up high-value molecules from feedstocks, such as petroleum. The cages and cargoes will be pumped into a space where their molecular cargo is released in pure form, allowing the cages to be recycled in a closed-loop purification process. We anticipate that this process will allow the separation of valuable molecules with higher energy efficiency and lower cost than current methods.