Trap Inlaid Cationic Hybrid Composite Material for Efficient Segregation of Toxic Chemicals from Water

Abstract

Metal-based oxoanions are potentially toxic pollutants that can cause serious water pollution. Therefore, the segregation of such species has recently received significant research attention. Even though several adsorbents have been employed for effective management of chemicals, their limited microporous nature along with non-monolithic applicability has thwarted their large-scale real-time application. Herein, we developed a unique anion exchangeable hybrid composite aerogel material (IPcomp-6), integrating a stable cationic metal-organic polyhedron with a hierarchically porous metal-organic gel. The composite scavenger demonstrated a highly selective and very fast segregation efficiency for various hazardous oxoanions such as, HAsO₄^2- , SeO₄^2- , ReO₄^- , CrO₄^2- , MnO₄^- , in water, in the presence of 100-fold excess of other coexisting anions. The material was able to selectively eliminate trace HAsO₄^2- even at low concentration to well below the As^V limit in drinking water defined by WHO.

Keywords: Aerogel; Chemical Separation; Hybrid Composite; Metal-Organic Gel; Metal-Organic Polyhedra.