Coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks MOFs have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential applications in gas storage and separation. These materials possess unique properties such as high surface area, tunable pore size, and adjustable chemical functionality, which make them ideal candidates for gas storage and separation applications. Here are some strategies to use coordination polymers and MOFs for efficient gas storage and separation:1. Design and synthesis of MOFs with high surface area: High surface area is a crucial factor for efficient gas storage and separation. By designing MOFs with large surface areas, more gas molecules can be adsorbed onto the material, leading to higher storage capacities. This can be achieved by using organic linkers with extended structures or by incorporating metal clusters with high connectivity.2. Tuning pore size and shape: The pore size and shape of MOFs can be tailored to selectively adsorb specific gas molecules. By carefully selecting the organic linkers and metal ions, MOFs with specific pore sizes and shapes can be synthesized to preferentially adsorb target gas molecules, leading to efficient separation.3. Functionalization of pore surfaces: The chemical functionality of MOFs can be adjusted by modifying the organic linkers or metal ions. This allows for the introduction of specific functional groups, such as amine or carboxylate groups, which can interact with gas molecules through various interactions e.g., hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, or electrostatic interactions . These interactions can enhance the selectivity and capacity of MOFs for specific gas molecules.4. Incorporation of open metal sites: The presence of open metal sites in MOFs can significantly enhance gas adsorption and separation performance. These open metal sites can act as strong adsorption sites for gas molecules, leading to higher storage capacities and improved separation selectivities. To achieve this, MOFs can be designed with metal ions that have unsaturated coordination environments or by post-synthetic modification to expose metal sites.5. Design of flexible MOFs: Some MOFs exhibit structural flexibility, which allows them to undergo reversible structural changes upon gas adsorption or desorption. This flexibility can be exploited to achieve efficient gas storage and separation by designing MOFs that undergo specific structural changes in response to the adsorption of target gas molecules.6. Mixed-matrix membranes MMMs : Combining MOFs with polymer matrices to form mixed-matrix membranes can enhance the gas separation performance of the resulting composite material. The MOFs can act as molecular sieves, selectively allowing specific gas molecules to pass through the membrane while retaining others.7. Post-synthetic modification: The properties of MOFs can be further tuned after their synthesis through various post-synthetic modification techniques. These include solvent-assisted linker exchange, metal ion exchange, or functional group modification. These modifications can help to optimize the MOFs for specific gas storage and separation applications.In summary, the key to using coordination polymers and MOFs for efficient gas storage and separation lies in the careful design and synthesis of materials with tailored properties, such as high surface area, tunable pore size, adjustable chemical functionality, and the presence of open metal sites. Additionally, incorporating MOFs into mixed-matrix membranes and applying post-synthetic modifications can further enhance their performance in gas storage and separation applications.