Enhancing the carbon capture capacities of a rigid ultra-microporous MOF through gate-opening at low CO2 pressures assisted by swiveling oxalate pillars.

Porosity enhancement assisted by an unusual gate opening has been realized in an exceptionally rigid ultra-microporous framework. The gate-opening has been attributed to the presence of symmetrically positioned Zn-O bonds of the Zn-oxalate units that facilitate subtle swiveling motion resulting in a drastic improvement (42%) in the CO2 capacity without compromising the CO2/N-2 selectivity.