The MOF+ Technique: A Significant Synergic Effect Enables High Performance Chromate Removal

A significant synergic effect between a metalorganic framework (MOF) and Fe2SO4, the so-called MOF+ technique, is exploited for the first time to remove toxic chromate from aqueous solutions. The results show that relative to the pristine MOF samples (no detectable chromate removal), the MOF+ method enables super performance, giving a 796 Cr mg g(-1) adsorption capacity. The value is almost eight-fold higher than the best value of established MOF adsorbents, and the highest value of all reported porous adsorbents for such use. The adsorption mechanism, unlike the anion-exchange process that dominates chromate removal in all other MOF adsorbents, as unveiled by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), is due to the surface formation of Fe0.75Cr0.25(OH)(3) nanospheres on the MOF samples.