Construction of porous 2D MOF nanosheets for rapid and selective adsorption of cationic dyes

Abstract

Porous two-dimensional metal–organic framework (2D-MOF) nanosheets Zr-BTB-H₄TBAPy and PCN-134-2D were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and zeta potential and subjected to dye adsorption and separation investigation. These 2D-MOF nanosheets are ultrathin, have large surface area and high water stability and can selectively adsorb cationic dyes, rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MLB), from aqueous solutions, with removal rates of nearly 100% within 10 min. The adsorption kinetic results showed that Zr-BTB-H₄TBAPy and PCN-134-2D could effectively and selectively remove cationic dyes from water, followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption mechanism studies further indicated that their excellent adsorption and separation performance could be ascribed to their ultrathin and porous features, plentiful exposed surface-active sites, and favorable electrostatic interactions between the adsorbents and cationic dyes. Moreover, the porous 2D MOF nanosheets displayed excellent recyclability and reusability. These outstanding features make them potentially applicable for rapid and selective cationic dye adsorption and separation.