Hierarchical porous UiO-66 composites modified by dual competitive strategy for adsorption of oxytetracycline

Adsorption is a popular technology for solving water-pollution problems because it is highly efficient, affordable and environmentally friendly. In this study, a dual competition strategy was developed to improve oxytetracycline adsorption by modulating the UiO-66 defects. A series of defect-rich hierarchical porous UiO-66 was prepared using the competitive strategy of bi-metal (Zn2+/Zr4+) and bi-ligand (terephthalic acid/monocarboxylic acid). Compared with the pristine UiO-66, the defect-rich hierarchical porous UiO-66 has a higher adsorption efficiency and faster adsorption rate. Among them, the greatest adsorption ability of But-HP-UiO-66 was 209.97 mg∙g−1 at pH= 6.0, which was 9.89 times greater than UiO-66. The kinetic and isotherm fitting results showed that the adsorption was consistent with the Elovich and Freundlich models. According to the response surface model design based on four factors (OTC concentration, pH, humic acid and SO42- intensity), But-HP-UiO-66 exhibited an excellent adsorption effect and strong anti-jamming ability. The prominent advantages of this composite are its rich pore structure and abundant defects. The adsorption mechanism showed that the electrostatic interactions, metal-organic complexation, pore adsorption, hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions performed vital functions. This study provides a promising method for manufacturing strongly hierarchical porous MOFs and strengthens their potential applications in antibiotic elimination.