Design and syntheses of functionalized copper-based MOFs and its adsorption behavior for Pb(II)

A novel copper-based MOFs adsorbent (Cu-BTC-Th) was prepared using an one-step method by introducing a new organic ligand of 4-thioureidobenzoicacid (Th) with active groups for selectively adsorbing Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. The chemical composition and structure of the prepared MOFs materials were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS ), Brunner−Emmet−Teller (BET) analysis, and zeta potential measurements. The adsorption capability of the prepared Cu-MOFs was significantly enhanced by introducing the new organic ligand of Th in the materials. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Cu-BTC-Th for Pb(II) attains 732.86 mg/g under the optimal conditions. In addition, the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm analysis showed that the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption model, indicating that the adsorption of Pb(II) by Cu-BTC-Th was a monolayer chemisorption. The adsorption mechanism of Cu-BTC-Th for Pb(II) was discussed and revealed. On one hand, the adsorption of Pb(II) is mainly through ion exchange with the Cu(II). On the other hand, the −NH2 and −C=S functional groups introduced in the Cu-BTC-Th materials have stronger coordination ability with the Pb(II) ions to enhance the adsorption capability.