Separation technology is central to industries as diverse as petroleum, pharmaceuticals, mining and life sciences. Metal–organic cages, a class of molecular containers formed via coordination-driven self-assembly, show great promise as separation agents. Precise control of the shape, size and functionalization of cage cavities enables them to selectively bind and distinguish a wide scope of physicochemically similar substances in solution. Extensive research has, thus, been performed involving separations of high-value targets using coordination cages, ranging from gases and liquids to compounds dissolved in solution. Enantiopure capsules also show great potential for the separation of chiral molecules. The use of crystalline cages as absorbents, or the incorporation of cages into polymer membranes, could increase the selectivity and efficiency of separation processes. This Review covers recent progress in using metal–organic cages to achieve separations, with discussion of the many methods of using them in this context. Challenges and potential future developments are also discussed.

分离技术是石油、制药、采矿和生命科学等多种行业的核心。金属有机笼是一类通过配位驱动自组装形成的分子容器，作为分离剂显示出巨大的前景。精确控制笼腔的形状、大小和功能化使它们能够选择性地结合和区分溶液中范围广泛的物理化学相似物质。因此，已经进行了广泛的研究，涉及使用配位笼分离高价值目标，范围从气体和液体到溶解在溶液中的化合物。对映体纯胶囊还显示出分离手性分子的巨大潜力。使用结晶笼作为吸收剂，或将笼结合到聚合物膜中，可以提高分离过程的选择性和效率。本综述涵盖了使用金属-有机笼实现分离的最新进展，并讨论了在此背景下使用它们的多种方法。还讨论了挑战和潜在的未来发展。