Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which are constructed from metal ions/clusters with organic linkers, are in a stage from fundamentals to applications. The application of MOFs in liquid-phase adsorption/separation is one of the most significant headways in the environment and chemistry. Concerning tunable porosity, multiple functional sites and devisable host–guest interactions, goal-directed designs lead to task-specific MOFs and are requisite to perform precise molecular recognition in liquid-phase adsorption/separation. In this review, we give insights into the goal-directed design strategies of organic linkers and metal clusters for the elaboration of task-specific MOFs with targeting effects and high recognition capability, as well as the related progress of MOF-derived membranes. In addition, we put forward the cooperation of different recognition mechanisms to achieve high adsorption/separation performance. At the end, we address the challenges in these fields and propose the prospects and possible evolution for future development.

由金属离子/簇与有机连接基构成的金属有机骨架（MOF）处于从基础到应用的阶段。MOF在液相吸附/分离中的应用是环境和化学领域最重要的进展之一。关于可调节的孔隙率，多个功能位点和可观的主客互动，目标导向的设计导致了特定任务的MOF，这对于在液相吸附/分离中进行精确的分子识别是必不可少的。在这篇综述中，我们深入了解了有机连接基和金属簇的目标导向设计策略，以阐述具有靶向作用和高识别能力的任务特定MOF，以及MOF衍生膜的相关进展。此外，我们提出了不同识别机制的合作，以实现高吸附/分离性能。最后，我们解决了这些领域中的挑战，并提出了未来发展的前景和可能的发展。