Hierarchically mesostructured MIL-101 metal–organic frameworks: supramolecular template-directed synthesis and accelerated adsorption kinetics for dye removal

• Published in: CrystEngComm Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 1613 - 1617
• Main Authors: Huang, Xiao-Xian, Qiu, Ling-Guang, Zhang, Wang, Yuan, Yu-Peng, Jiang, Xia, Xie, An-Jian, Shen, Yu-Hua, Zhu, Jun-Fa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2012
• Subjects: Adsorption; Channels; Diffraction; Dyes; Metal-organic frameworks; Pore size; Porosity; Scanning electron microscopy; Synthesis
• ISSN: 1466-8033; 1466-8033
• DOI: 10.1039/C1CE06138K

Hierarchically mesostructured MIL-101 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were successfully synthesized under solvothermal synthesis conditions by using the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a supramolecular template. The mesostructured MIL-101 MOFs were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms at 77 K. The results suggest that the mesostructured MIL-101 MOFs obtained are composed of numerous MOF nanocrystals. Pore size distribution analyses of the as-synthesized MOF samples reveal that such mesostructured MIL-101 MOFs have well-defined trimodal pore size distributions showing simultaneous existence of meso- and macropore channel systems. Significantly, such hierarchically mesostructured MIL-101 exhibits remarkably accelerated adsorption kinetics for dye removal in comparison with the bulk MIL-101 crystals, which is due to unique hierarchically meso- and macropores created in the solid.