About this Research Topic
The applications of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) range from gas adsorption, separation, catalysis, and sensing, to degradation of chemical warfare reagents and removal of pollutants from aqueous media. The separation of common pollutants such as heavy metal ions, anions, oil, and radionuclides from water streams has become a topic of great importance due to widespread problems with environmental contamination. Several attempts have been made to extract these pollutants from water, but many current methods including sorbents, chemical precipitation, and traditional membrane separation suffer from poor selectivity and low uptake. Due to the remarkable properties of MOFs such as high stability in aqueous media, porosity, and selectivity, it has been shown that MOF structures are highly suitable for the removal of pollutants from water. The design and synthesis of water-stable MOFs is therefore ideal in the development of techniques for effective water purification.
The major obstacle is to synthesize metal-organic framework structures that are stable in aqueous media. Specific design of the node (metal oxide cluster), selection of ligands, as well as architecture may produce structures with defined porosity and provide stability in water. The limitations of present remediation techniques for practical applications drive the need for innovation in this field. Recent reports indicate that MOFs can be used for the effective removal of pollutants like heavy metal ions, remediation after oil spills, and in water desalination. For real-world applications, MOF-based devices would be ideal for the effective removal of pollutants from water.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, and Perspectives addressing themes including, but not limited to:
• Design and synthesis of water-stable MOFs
• Advanced characterization of water-stable MOFs
• Rational design of water-stable MOFs for selective removal of pollutants from water
• Theoretical modeling to design water-stable MOFs
• MOF-based devices for water purification
Keywords: pollutants, clean water, metal-organic framework, inorganic chemistry, rational design
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
