Coating polyurethane sponge with Dy-MOF for efficient oil–water separation in complex environments

Abstract Leakage of industrial oil and organic solvents seriously harms environment and ecology yet demanding highly efficient and durable materials for oil–water separations. In this work, ultra-light and highly flexible polyurethane (PU) sponges were engineered to 3D oil–water separators by coating the dysprosium metal organic framework (Dy-MOF) onto the surfaces of the PU frames. Through a facile impregnation, the Dy-MOF was attached to the full frames of the sponges. Consequently, liquid contact surfaces were extended from these on top layers to the whole rack. Superhydrophobicity with water contact angles up to 152.08° and lipophilicity enable continuous separations of dichloromethane from water through the resulted Dy-MOF@PU sponges in a continuous mode. The modified sponges own high gravimetric absorption capacities for oil and organic solvents, and high resistances to temperature variations, corrosive solutions, and mechanical abrasions, thanks to the well-connected and stable superhydrophobic/supportive interfaces. An efficient separation was successfully piloted for oily wastewater consisting of water-in-oil emulsions stabilized by surfactants, demonstrating the potential of practical water treatment of Dy-MOF@PU in complex environments. Mechanism leading to superior oil–water separation capability was studied and inferred as the combined effects of the physical and chemical properties arisen from the stable Dy-MOF and flexible but porous matrix

Z-scheme Bi₂O₃/Bi/ZnIn₂S₄ photocatalyst for enhancing the removal performance of Cr(VI), 2,4-dinitrophenol and tetracycline

Abstract Construction of heterojunctions is conventionally regarded as the prevailing technique to enhance solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting and photodegradation of pollutants. Herein, we report a novel design of a ternary Bi₂O₃/Bi/ZnIn₂S₄ system, which was facilely synthesized to satisfy these stringent criteria for sunlight photocatalytic removal of organic and ionic pollutants and hydrogen evolution. Bi₂O₃/Bi/ZnIn₂S₄ could degrade 2,4-dinitrophenol (94.6%), tetracycline (96.5%), and Cr⁶⁺ (96.3%) effectively under visible light and give a hydrogen production rate of 482.5 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ under visible light. Based on first-principles calculations and electrochemical results, our system could be identified as a Z-scheme. Photocorrosion of the sulfide is prohibited while the catalytic capabilities are simultaneously benefited due to lowered bandgap in light harvesting, internal electric fields in charge separations, and surface plasmonic resonance enhanced electron boost

Combining Ce-metal–organic framework with CdS for efficient photocatalytic removals of heavy metal ion and organic pollutant under visible and solar lights

Abstract Among various emerging contaminants in water bodies, heavy metal ions and organic pollutants pose persistent damages that are hardly remediated naturally. In this regard, photocatalysis empowered by high-performance catalytic materials is a perfect fit. Herein, a series of CdS/Ce-MOF heterostructures were successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method and superior photocatalytic abilities to remove Cr(VI) and Crystal violet (CV) from aqueous ambiences were unveiled. Up to 95.6% and 90% removal capabilities were reached for Cr(VI) and CV in 30 and 40 min by using as-prepared CdS/Ce-MOF heterojunctions as catalysts under solar light, and the capabilities retained high in cyclic tests. Following structural, morphological, optical, and electrochemical characterization results, the excellent photoredox ability of CdS/Ce-MOF was identified and attributed to enhanced visible light absorption ability and the improvement of charge separation ability in the heterostructure