A 3D-printed hierarchical porous architecture of MOF@clay composite for rapid and highly efficient dye scavenging

Abstract

Recently, 3D printing technology has attracted increasing attention for various applications such as wastewater treatment. Herein, we describe the fabrication of the 3D-printed architecture of a highly porous metal–organic framework (MOF) and clay (MOF@clay) composite. The chromium-based MOF was hybridized with clay clusters via an in situ solvothermal reaction, followed by immobilization of MOF@clay composite within the 3D-printed architecture with a cross-shaped unit cell. In this design, the microporous MOF@clay composite with its superior specific surface area (4959 m² g⁻¹) significantly enhanced the efficiency of the 3D-printed architecture. As the results of MO dye adsorption experiments showed, the removal efficiency of the 3D-MOF@clay architecture was as high as 80% at pH = 4 for a contact time of 60 min. Moreover, the adsorption study indicates that the rapid adsorption and follows the Langmuir isotherm. The free-standing and easily recyclable 3D-MOF@clay architecture exhibits a fast, efficient and sustainable adsorption performance, which provides new insights for the rational design and fabrication of next-generation adsorbents for the removal of organic pollutants.