Issue 24, 2020

Green synthesis of Zr-based metal–organic framework hydrogel composites and their enhanced adsorptive properties

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising candidates for a wide range of applications due to their high surface area and customizable structures, however, the minimal external hydrophilicity of MOFs has limited their biomedical implementations. Structuring of MOFs within polymer frameworks is an approach used to create hybrid materials that retain many of the MOF characteristics (e.g. high adsorption capacity) but expand the range of mechanical and surface properties as well as form factors accessible. Using this approach, hybridizing MOFs with hydrophilic hydrogels can give rise to materials with improved hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. Here, we describe the synthesis of the first Zr-based MOF-hydrogel hybrid material (composite 3) using a green chemistry approach, in which only water was used as the solvent and relatively low temperature (50 °C) was applied. Using methylene blue (MB) as a probe molecule, composite 3 exhibited greater adsorption capacity than the MOF or the hydrogel alone in aqueous solution at most tested pH values (all except pH 13). At an initial MB concentration of 0.0096 mg mL−1 (30.014 μM) and neutral pH conditions, this new hybrid presented the highest loading of MB among similar materials (MB adsorbed = 4.361 ± 0.092 mg MB per g Zr, partition coefficient = 0.172 ± 0.004 mg g−1 μM−1) and largely retained its adsorption capacity under varied conditions (pH 1–13 and 0.2–1.0 M NaCl), rendering possible applications in drug delivery and the removal of tumor contrast agent/dye with minimal leakage due to its broad chemical stability.

Graphical abstract: Green synthesis of Zr-based metal–organic framework hydrogel composites and their enhanced adsorptive properties

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
13 Jul 2020
Accepted
23 Sep 2020
First published
25 Sep 2020

Inorg. Chem. Front., 2020,7, 4813-4821

Author version available

Green synthesis of Zr-based metal–organic framework hydrogel composites and their enhanced adsorptive properties

S. E. Klein, J. D. Sosa, A. C. Castonguay, W. I. Flores, L. D. Zarzar and Y. Liu, Inorg. Chem. Front., 2020, 7, 4813 DOI: 10.1039/D0QI00840K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements