Synthesis of mercapto functionalized Zr-MOFs for the enhanced removal of Hg2+ ions from water†

Having access to clean water is a mandatory requirement for the proper development of living beings [1]. So , addressing the removal of contaminants from aquatic systems should be a priority research topic in order to restore ecosystem balance and secure a more sustainable future [2]Mercapto functionalized Zr-MOFs have been developed via postsynthetic modification for selective adsorption of Hg2+ ions. Thioglycolic acid (TGA) was used as the modulator and functionalized molecule to synthesize the mercapto functionalized Zr-MOFs (Zr-MOFs-TGA). In comparison with the Zr-MOFs without modulator (UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH2), our synthesized Zr-MOFs-TGA because of using NH2-BDC with S-containing modulators and having more coordinating groups, leads to a much higher adsorption capacity for Hg2+ ions. Specially, UiO-66-TGA had an adsorption capacity for Hg2+ ions up to 214.6 mg/g, which is much higher than that of UiO-66 (28 mg/g). Additionally, the Zr-MOFs-TGA can be used to reduce the Hg2+ ions concentrations (10-500 ppm) from water. Moreover, the synthesized Zr-MOFs-TGA also exhibited good selectivity and chemical stability