Amino-functionalized MIL-101(Cr) photodegradation enhancement by sulfur-enriched copper sulfide nanoparticles: An experimental and DFT study

MOF-derived sandwich-structured dual Z-Scheme Co9S8@ZnIn2S4/CdSe hollow nanocages heterojunction: Target-induced ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical sensing of chlorpyrifos

Exploring efficient photoactive material presents an intriguing opportunity to enhance the analytical performance of photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor in the environmental analysis. In this work, a sandwich-structured multi-interface Co9S8@ZnIn2S4/CdSe QDs dual Z-Scheme heterojunction, derived from metal-organic framework (MOF), was synthesized as a sensing platform for chlorpyrifos detection, by integrating with enzyme-induced in situ insoluble precipitates strategy. The meticulously designed Co9S8@ZnIn2S4/CdSe QDs exhibited enhanced charge separation efficiency and was proved to be a highly effective sensing platform for the immobilization of biomolecules, attributing to the intrinsic dual Z-Scheme heterojunction and the distinctive hollow structure. The proposed PEC sensing platform combined with enzyme-induced in situ precipitate signal amplification strategy achieved superior performance for sensing of chlorpyrifos (CPF), showing in wide linear range (1.0 pg mL-1-100 ng mL-1), with a limit of detection (0.6 pg mL-1), excellent selectivity, and stability. This work offers valuable insights for the design of novel advanced photoactive materials aimed at detecting environmental pollutants with low level concentration.

Synergistic effects of layered Ti3C2TX MXene/MIL-101(Cr) heterostructure as a sonocatalyst for efficient degradation of sulfadiazine and acetaminophen in water

In this work, different mass loadings of MXene-coupled MIL-101(Cr) (MXe/MIL-101(Cr)) nanocomposites were generated through a hydrothermal process in order to investigate the potential of this nanocomposite as a novel sonocatalyst for the elimination of sulfadiazine (SD) and acetaminophen (AAP) in aqueous media. The sonocatalytic activity of different MXe/MIL-101(Cr) compositions and surface functionalities was investigated. In addition, the sonocatalytic activities at various pH values, temperatures, pollutant concentrations, catalyst dosages, initial H2O2 concentrations, and organic matter contents were investigated. The experiments on the sonocatalytic elimination of SD and AAP revealed that MXe/MIL-101(Cr) exhibited a catalytic efficiency of ∼ 98% in 80 min when the MXene loading was 30 wt% in the nanocomposite. Under optimized reaction conditions, the degradation efficiency of MXe/MIL-101(Cr) reached 91.5% for SD and 90.6% for AAP in 60 min; these values were 1.2 and 1.8 times greater than those of MXene and MIL-101(Cr), respectively. The high surface area of the MXe/MIL-101(Cr) nanocomposite increased from 4.68 m2/g to 294.21 m2/g, and the band gap of the tagged MIL-101(Cr) on the MXene surface was minimized. The superior sonocatalytic activity of MXe/MIL-101(Cr) was attributed to the effective contact interface, the effective separation rate of e- - h+ pairs through the type II heterostructure interface, and the favorable high free •OH radical production rates that promoted the degradation of SD and AAP. The solid heterointerface between MIL-101(Cr) and MXene was confirmed through Raman and FTIR analysis and was found to promote accessible •OH radical production under sonication, thus maximizing the catalytic activity of nanocomposites. The present results present an effective strategy for the design of a highly efficient, low-cost, reliable sonocatalyst that can eradicate pharmaceutical pollutants in our environment.

TiO2-In-MIL-101(Cr) with Visible Light-Induced Peroxidase Activity for Colorimetric Detection of Blood Glucose

In this work, metal-organic framework MIL-101(Cr) with regular morphology, stable structure, and good dispersion was prepared by the hydrothermal method. MIL-101(Cr) has two different sizes of pores, but after TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) were in situ prepared, the two pores disappear. The result demonstrates that TiO₂ NPs were located in the pores of MIL-101(Cr). TiO₂-decorated MIL-101(Cr) forms an inside type II heterojunction and the band gap energy is narrowed, which can promote electron-hole separation and enhance the light absorption. Therefore, the heterojunction shows a high visible light-induced peroxidase-like activity. Kinetic studies exhibit that the K _m value of TiO₂-in-MIL-101(Cr) to TMB is 0.17 mM, and the affinity of TiO₂-in-MIL-101(Cr) is higher than that of natural horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Then, a "turn-on" colorimetric assay based on TiO₂-in-MIL-101(Cr) was constructed for the detection of blood glucose. The detection range is 1-100 μM (R ² = 0.9950) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.17 μM. Compared with the clinical method, the constructed colorimetric method has accurate and reliable results for the clinical detection. The anti-interference experiment confirms that the method has high selectivity to glucose.

Selectivity Enhancement for Uric Acid Detection via In Situ Preparation of Blue Emissive Carbon Dots Entrapped in Chromium Metal-Organic Frameworks

In the present work, for the first time, the in situ formation of blue emissive carbon dots (bCDs) and encapsulation into the pores of chromium-based metal-organic frameworks (Cr-MOFs) are described. The luminescent bCDs via in situ process are formed and entrapped inside the pores of Cr-MOFs to form a nanocomposite of bCDs@Cr-MOFs. The bCDs@Cr-MOFs showed a strong broad blue emission at 420 nm (excited at 310 nm), which corresponds to both, the ligand (2-aminoterephthalic acid) in the Cr-MOF and the entrapped bCDs. This is assigned for the entrapping of bCDs in the pores of the MOFs. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed two types of particles, 150 rod-like shapes for Cr-MOF and 5-10 nm spherical shapes assigned for the presence of bCDs. The bCDs alone (without Cr-MOF) showed no selectivity, and their emission was quenched by different biomolecules and ions, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, and Hg²⁺. The selectivity of bCDs toward uric acid was increased dramatically when they were encapsulated in the Cr-MOF. The linear range for uric acid was 20-50 μM, and the LOD was measured as 1.3 μM. Spike recoveries for the detection of uric acid in serum samples were between 94 and 108%. The relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 3) at each concentration value was less than 2%. The results showed high ruggedness and robustness of the assay due to its high shelf-life stability of probe (four weeks), water stability, and long working pH range. Validation experiments showed that the established MOF-based sensing system is appropriate for uric acid detection in real samples.

Facile synthesis of hierarchically structured MIL-53(Al) with superior properties using an environmentally-friendly ultrasonic method for separating lead ions from aqueous solutions

The present study aims at investigating sonochemically synthesized MIL-53(Al) and its applications in adsorption lead ions from aqueous solution. XRD, FESEM, BET, and FTIR analyses were employed to identify and characterize MIL-53(Al). The ultrasonic-assisted synthesis procedure results in reducing the synthesis time to 24 h; however, the conventional synthesis of MIL-53(Al) takes 3 days. Applying ultrasonic waves also leads to increase of the specific surface area up to 50% more than that of synthesized by the conventional method, as well as creating the hierarchical MIL-53(Al) structure which reduces the mass transfer limitation of ions into internal micropores. The optimum conditions for removing lead ions are pH of 6, Pb⁺² ion concentration of 20 mg/L, contact time of 60 min, adsorbent dose of 0.04 g, and temperature of 318 K with the removal efficiency of 97.63%. The experimental adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data fit the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, respectively. Moreover, the usage of sonochemically synthesized MIL-53(Al), for the first time as an adsorbent in heavy metal removal points to the great potential of this new environmentally-friendly adsorbent in removing lead ions from aqueous solutions.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Ternary Dyes by Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles

We report the effect of thermolysis time on the morphological and optical properties of CuS nanoparticles prepared from Cu(II) dithiocarbamate single-source precursor. The as-prepared copper sulfide nanoparticles were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of crystal violet (CV), methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB), and a ternary mixture of the three dyes (CV/MB/RhB). Powder XRD patterns confirmed the hexagonal covellite phase for the CuS nanoparticles. At the same time, HRTEM images revealed mixed shapes with a particle size of 31.47 nm for CuS1 prepared at 30 min while CuS2 prepared at 1 h consists of mixtures of hexagonal and nanorods shaped particles with an average size of 21.59 nm. Mixed hexagonal and spherically shaped particles with a size of 17.77 nm were obtained for CuS3 prepared at 2 h. The optical bandgaps of the nanoparticles are 3.00 eV for CuS1, 3.26 eV for CuS2 and 3.13 eV for CuS3. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency showed that CuS3 with the smallest particle size is the most efficient photocatalyst and degraded 85% of CV, 100% of MB, and 81% of RhB. The as-prepared CuS showed good stability and recyclability and also degraded ternary dyes mixture (CV/MB/RhB) effectively. The byproducts of the dye degradation were evaluated using ESI-mass spectrometry.