This study presents a simple approach to prepare MOF-808, an ultra-stable Zr-MOF constructed from 6-connected zirconium clusters and 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid, with tailored particle sizes. Varying the amount of formic acid as a modulator in the range of 200-500 equivalents results in MOF-808 materials with a crystal size from 40 nm to approximately 1000 nm. Apart from the high specific surface area, a combination of a fraction of mesopore and plenty of acidic centers on the Zr-clusters induces a better interaction with the ionic pollutants such as K2Cr2O7 and anionic dyes. MOF-808 shows uptakes of up to 141.2, 642.0, and 731.0 mg/g for K2Cr2O7, sunset yellow, and quinoline yellow, respectively, in aqueous solutions at ambient conditions. The uptakes for the ionic dyes are significantly higher than those of other MOFs reported from the literature. Moreover, the adsorption capacity of MOF-808 remains stable after four cycles. Our results demonstrate that MOF-808 is a promising ideal platform for removing oxometallates and anionic dyes from water.
Keywords: MOF-808; anionic trapping; metal-organic framework; modulator; particle size.