Self-Formation of Nanoporous Metal-Organic Framework/Water Interphase

The reduction of the energy cost of environmental remediation processes is one of the major issues that afford modern societies. Colloidal nanoparticles of molecular sieve-type materials are widely used as adsorbents and catalysts in separation, conversion, and recovery processes, but still show limitations during their recovery due to their nano size, which hinders the viability of those materials in large-scale processes. Herein, we propose a simple alternative method to induce the formation of self-organized floating metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles into films. These films are confined regions formed by entrapped MOF particles between 500 nm and microns morphologies over the liquid water. This feature will allow for low energy consumption recovery of the nanoparticles at the industrial level. Furthermore, functional MOF particles can remove dyes from water media and promote discoloration, in the case of methylene blue.