ZIF-11 derived nanoporous carbons with ultrahigh uptakes for capture and reversible storage of volatile iodine

In this work, three nanoporous carbon materials Z11-700, Z11-800 and Z11-900 were synthesized by a one-step calcination of zeolitic imidazolate framework-11 (ZIF-11) at 700, 800 and 900 degrees C, respectively. The samples obtained were characterized by SEM, PXRD, FT-IR, Raman spectra and N-2 adsorption. The results showed that the three ZIF-11 derived samples were micro/mesoporous and had high BET surface areas and pore volumes. Of the synthesized samples, Z11-900 displayed an excellent iodine vapour uptake of 3775 mg/g which was superior compared with Z11-700 and Z11-800, as well as other reported solid state materials. What is more, the regeneration efficiency of Z11-900 for iodine molecules was near to 90% (3672 mg/g) after three cycles of reuse. The easy operation, highly-effective and recyclable features enable the ZIF-11 derived nanoporous carbons to be a promising adsorbent for applications in environmental remediation.