Greenhouse sulfur hexafluoride gas capture and separation using emerging porous solids

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) has established itself as an invaluable industrial gas, but its remarkable stability in the atmosphere (ca. 3200 years), coupled with its potent greenhouse gas characteristics, necessitates effective strategies to eliminate post-use emissions. Various approaches have been explored, including destructive pathways aimed at depleting emitted SF₆, which, unfortunately, prevent recycling the gas. In this review, we particularly focus on emerging porous solids including, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and porous cages for selectively capturing and separating SF₆. These materials have regular pore size distributions, large surface areas, and large gas adsorption capacities and selectivities due to their unique pore environments, which are influenced by metal types, organic linkers, and their combinations. This comprehensive review explores the latest studies on MOFs and newly initiated studies on COFs and porous cages undertaken to selectively and non-destructively remove SF₆ from mixed gases with focus on their pore environments and adsorption performances.