MIL-101-NH2(Fe)-Coated Nylon Microfibers for Immobilized Photocatalysts in RhB and Cr(VI) Removal

Abstract

MIL-101-NH2(Fe) is one of the effective photocatalytic metal- organic frameworks (MOFs) working under visible light. However, its powder-type form inhibits reusability in practical applications. In this study, we immobilized MIL-101-NH2(Fe) on a polymeric microfiber mesh to improve reusability while minimizing the loss of catalytic performance. To overcome the lack of surface functionality of the nylon fibers, an atomic layer deposition Al2O3 layer and NH2BDC linker were introduced to facilitate uniform coating of the MOF on the fiber surface. The reactions of the metal precursor to the nylon substrate and NH2-BDC ligand of the MOF allow chemical bonding from the core to the shell of the entire hybrid catalytic materials. The resulting fiber-immobilized MOFs (Nylon@Al2O3@ MOF) demonstrated high photocatalytic performance in the removal of RhB and Cr(VI) as representatives of organic dyes and heavy metals, respectively, while retaining over 85% of its efficiency after five cycles.