Fabrication of ZIF-9@super-macroporous microsphere for adsorptive removal of Congo red from water

Abstract

A novel composite adsorbent of ZIF-9 nanoparticles growing on super-macroporous microspheres (SMM) was synthesized via in situ growth method for adsorptive removal of Congo red from water. The as-synthesized ZIF-9@SMM adsorbent was characterized by XRD, SEM, and BET experiments, and the results showed the ZIF-9 nanoparticles can successfully grow on the surfaces of SMM giving the microspherical shape and microporous structure. The effects of different adsorbents, solution concentration, temperature, and pH value on the adsorption performance were investigated, and the adsorption isotherm and kinetics were analyzed through the adsorption results. The ZIF-9@SMM for removing Congo red from water exhibited better adsorption performance than the ZIF-9, SMM and some other adsorbents. The excellent adsorption performance of ZIF-9@SMM indicated that the fabrication of in situ growth method is attractive to be applied for other novel composite adsorbents combining microporous materials and macroporous microspheres.