Silver-functionalized UiO-66 metal-organic framework-coated 3D printed device for the removal of radioactive iodine from wastewaters

Abstract Silver-functionalized UiO-66 MOF was prepared by an easy one-pot solvothermal reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, electron microscopy, X-ray spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis. The prepared functionalized MOF was tested for the removal of radioactive iodine from water, obtaining an outstanding extraction capacity of 131I (~1 MBq/g) due to the excellent affinity of Ag particles to iodide. For practical applications, the obtained porous UiO-66-SO3H@Ag material was incorporated by a simple method into a 3D printed device using polyvinylidene fluoride as binder. The developed UiO-66-SO3H@Ag 3D device showed high efficiency for the removal of 131I, an excellent reusability and good performance for the extraction of 131I from sewage water and hospital waste samples, obtaining in all cases recoveries above 90%.