Progress in Metal-Organic Frameworks as Stationary Phase for Chromatographic Separation

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous materials which are self-assembly through coordination interactions between metal ions or metal clusters and organic ligands. The characteristics of MOFs, including unique topological structure, porous structure, tunable pore size, high specific surface area, and flexible surface functionalities, enable MOFs to be a new kind of stationary phase materials in the chromatographic field. The progress of MOFs used as stationary phases in gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC) and chiral separation in recent years is summarized. The outstanding separation performances and applications of MOFs in the chromatographic separation field are demonstrated. The prospect of MOFs for the chromatographic stationary phase is described.