Molecularly woven materials for water isotopologue separation

Molecular woven materials possess intrinsic structural self-adaptability, exhibiting excellent stimulus-responsiveness and flexibility that render them promising candidates for smart materials, separation science, catalysis, and energy storage. Herein, we systematically address key challenges in precise structural construction and the trade-off between structural dynamics and stability through a strategy spanning theoretical design to application validation, successfully extending woven topologies to 3D framework systems. By introducing a unique “mortise-and-tenon” motif, 2D woven layers assemble into a novel 3D woven network with hierarchical porosity. The synergistic effect of the woven topology and the mortise-and-tenon structure endows the material with efficient molecular transport and precise recognition of subtle physicochemical differences between H2O and D2O, enabling the first realization of efficient dynamic co-adsorptive separation of water isotopologues. This class of adaptive woven materials enriches the structural diversity of woven frameworks and offers new design principles for high-performance isotope separation technologies, carrying important theoretical and practical significance.