Semirigid Highly Conjugated Zirconium-Organic Framework for the Capture of Micropollutants and Solar-Light Photodegradation.

Micro-organic pollutants, particularly organic dyes and personal care products (PPCPs), are widely present in wastewater, and thus pose a serious risk to human health. The capture and solar-light photodegradation of micro-organic pollutants are highly challenging tasks, which require the design and synthesis of microporous materials with specific structures. As we know, organic dyes and PPCPs can be absorbed via π-π* stacking. In this paper, an iron-based metal-organic framework (Fe-UiO-68-terNap) containing semirigid conjugated aromatic ligands is prepared for the capture and solar-light photodegradation of multiple water contaminants. UiO-68-terNap was synthesized based on ternaphthalene with π-π* stacking, which would increase the adsorption capacities of organic micropollutants in wastewater. Additionally, the formation of Fe-O-Zr enhances the charge-separation ability resulting in the successful degradation of micropollutants in 240 min. The novel material has been elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Fe K-edge XANES, which provide key insights at a molecular level for the design of novel materials for the capture and photodegradation of organic micropollutants.