Scalable, room temperature, and water-based synthesis of functionalized zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks for toxic chemical removal

An inexpensive, environmentally benign, and scalable strategy was developed to synthesize UiO-66 derivatives in water at room temperature. Particularly, UiO-66-(COOH)2 with a significant amount of missing Zr6 clusters exhibited a higher surface area and higher pore volume than the same material synthesized at higher temperatures. The presence of both Lewis and Bronsted acidic active sites permits the high affinity for ammonia in both dry and humid environments. Additionally, we have applied our synthetic method to a hydrophobic analogue, UiO-66-F4, which hydrolyzed the hydrophobic VX agent at 50% relative humidity without a buffer and bulk water. The scalable synthesis of UiO-66 analogues in water at room temperature makes these materials practical and promising candidates for toxic chemical removal applications.