Removal of methyl orange wastewater by Ugi multicomponent reaction functionalized UiO-66-NS

The efficient and rapid removal of organic dyes from wastewater remains a complex and challenging task. In this study, UiO-66-NH₂ was prepared by solvothermal synthesis, and then, UiO-66-NS was prepared by compounding L-cysteine with UiO-66-NH₂ via the Ugi reaction for the efficient removal of methyl orange. UiO-66-NS was prepared by the addition of 1 mmol L-cysteine and showed good adsorption of methyl orange with 92.00% removal. Pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherms more accurately described the adsorption process of UiO-66-NS on methyl orange, which indicated that the adsorption process was dominated by monolayer adsorption of chemical reactions, and the maximum adsorption amounts of UiO-66-NS on methyl orange were 242.72 mg/g at 298 K. In addition, UiO-66-NS exhibited ultrahigh stability in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media (pH = 3-10), but its adsorption of methyl orange after 5 cycles was only 59.53% of the maximum adsorption amount. The adsorption mechanism is primarily electrostatic adsorption of UiO-66-NS with methyl orange, hydrogen bonding, and π-π interactions. This atomically economical Ugi multicomponent reaction provides new ideas for the preparation of structurally designable adsorbents with excellent performance.