Anchoring of Mono/bimetallic ZIFs onto amine-functionalized GO hybrid nanocomposite: A green approach and its pseudo-first order catalytic role for the removal of water pollutants.

Water pollution is a pressing global issue threatening aquatic ecosystems and human health. Contaminants like dyes and industrial chemicals can severely impact water quality. This study presents a novel approach to address water pollution problems by anchoring metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) onto functionalized graphene oxide (GO) sheets in an environmentally friendly manner. Specifically, Zeolitic imidazole frameworks with monometallic Zinc-doped (Zn-doped) and bimetallic Zn-doped ZIF-67 (Zn@ZIF-67) were successfully anchored to amine-functionalized GO (GO-NH 2). The resulting ZIF-8@GO-NH 2 and Zn@ZIF-67@GO-NH 2 nanocomposites were investigated as potential catalysts for water pollution treatment and were evaluated for their ability to degrade Rhodamine B dye and reduce p-Nitrophenol. Interestingly, anchoring MOFs onto GO-NH 2 created a synergistic effect, enhancing both catalyst stability and efficiency. This synergy can be attributed to the combined properties of MOFs' porosity and GO's surface functionality. The abundant active sites on these nanocomposites facilitated electron transport, leading to efficient Rh B dye degradation. Kinetic studies revealed a significant advantage for the bimetallic Zn@ZIF-67@GO-NH 2 nanocomposite in degrading Rh B dye with 100 % degradation efficiency. This superior performance is likely due to the synergistic effect arising from the presence of two metal ions in the bimetallic system. However, the trend reversed for p-nitrophenol reduction. Here, the monometallic ZIF-8@GO-NH 2 (degradation efficiency ≥ 96.6 %) exhibited a higher degradation efficiency compared to the bimetallic counterpart (degradation efficiency ≥ 32.6 %). This difference can be explained by the availability of free nitrogen atoms in the monometallic system, which play a crucial role in facilitating the reduction process. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]