A Zinc Metal–Organic Framework for Concurrent Adsorption and Detection of Uranium

Abstract

Uranium is one of the principal raw materials in the nuclear industry, but if released into the natural environment, it also poses latent health risks to mankind. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a strategy that can concurrently detect and adsorb uranium to realize the sustainable development of nuclear power and protect the environment. In this work, a fluorescent zinc-based metal–organic framework (HNU-50) was designed and synthesized for the effective detection and extraction of U­(VI). The amide groups on N-pyridin-4-ylpyridine-4-carboxamide ligands and two uncoordinated carboxyl oxygen atoms on pyromellitic acid ligands in HNU-50 provide potential uranium-binding sites. Consequently, HNU-50 is competent of selectively and efficiently catching uranyl ions, achieving an optimum adsorption capacity of 632 mg/g. Additionally, the adsorption of U­(VI) results in fluorescence quenching of HNU-50, thus allowing sensitive and selective detection of U­(VI) by fluorescence change. Note that HNU-50 exhibits a considerably low detection limit of 1.2 × 10–8 M for U­(VI) in aqueous solution, which is below the World Health Organization maximum pollution standards for potable water (6.3 × 10–8 M).

Metal–Organic Framework-Based Materials for Adsorption and Detection of Uranium(VI) from Aqueous Solution

“…XPS spectra of (h) U 4f, (i,l) N 1s, (k) C 1s, and (j,m) O 1s of HUN-50 before and after U(VI) ion adsorption. Reproduced from ref ( 55 ). Copyright 2020 American Chemical Society.…”

“… Developmental milestones of MOFs and MOF-based materials for U(VI) adsorption and detection. Reproduced with permission from refs ( 48 ), ( 49 ), ( 50 ), ( 51 ), ( 42 ), ( 52 ), ( 53 ), ( 54 ), and ( 55 ). Copyrights 1989 American Chemical Society, 1999 Nature, 2005 Science, 2010 Science, 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017 Nature, 2017 American Chemical Society, and 2020 American Chemical Society, respectively.…”

Luminescent Zn (II)-Based Nanoprobes: A Highly Symmetric Supramolecular Platform for Sensing of Biological Targets and Living Cell Imaging

“…Still, in 2020, Qinhe Pan and coworkers in (Qin et al, 2020) designed a Zn MOF (HNU-50) for the detection and extraction of U (VI) as a potential environmental pollutant. The amide groups on N-pyridin-4-ylpyridine-4-carboxamide ligands and two uncoordinated carboxyl oxygen atoms on pyromellitic acid ligands provide potential uranium-binding sites allowing fluorescence sensitive and selective detection of U(VI) with LOD 1.2 × 10 -8 M for U(VI).…”

Stable bifunctional ZnII-based sensor toward acetylacetone and l-histidine via a fluorescence red shift and turn-on effect

“…Thereinto, CP-based fluorescent sensors have the superiorities of low cost, short response time, and high selectivity and sensitivity . Therefore, the rational design and synthesis of CPs for sensing analytes are meaningful, and a large number of CP sensors for detecting metal ions, 10,11 anions, 12 organic molecules, 13 explosives, 14 temperature, 15 and pH 16 have been reported.…”