Recent trends on MIL-Fe metal–organic frameworks: synthesis approaches, structural insights, and applications in organic pollutant adsorption and photocatalytic degradation

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are gaining considerable interest for various uses ranging from adsorption, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, chemical sensing, catalysis and gas separation. Fe-based MOFs, especially MIL (53, 68, 88A, 88B, 100 and 101) Fe MOFs which have grown quickly in the last few years, are seen as the most suitable to solve the drawbacks of conventional water purification methods. They have a very porous structure and owing to their superior catalytic activity, contaminant specific adsorption and abundant active sites, Fe-MOF materials are becoming an indispensable device for water processing. Nevertheless, structural decomposition under external photolytic, mechanical, thermal and chemical conditions hinders the further improvement of the activity of Fe-MOFs and their commercialization. In addition, when applied alone in the reaction environment, MIL-Fe particles have a tendency to agglomerate, inhibiting their selectivity and capture efficiency. To overcome these disadvantages, various well-designed MIL-Fe structures have been created via the preparation of composites, heterostructures and doping. Here, we provide a summary of the synthesis, structure and latest advances in the exploitation of MIL-Fe structures (composites and doping) for the elimination and photodecomposition of persistent organic contaminants. Finally, the main challenges, perspectives and future orientations are discussed to provide an insight into the ground-breaking breakthroughs in the field.