Synthesis of Metal-Organic Framework from Iron Nitrate and 2,6-Naphthalenedicarboxylic Acid and Its Application as Drug Carrier

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly crystalline porous organic-inorganic materials that are comprised of metal salts and organic linkers. The common synthetic methodologies of MOFs include: solvothermal, microwave-assisted, electrochemical, mechanochemical, and sonochemical routes. The synthesized MOF particles can be characterized using several characterization techniques including: X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and other analytical techniques. Recently, MOFs have garnered increasing attention due to their potential applications in numerous areas including: catalysis, gas storage and separation, drug delivery, and others. In this research paper, a new metal-organic framework was synthesized successfully from iron nitrate and 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (1) by means of microwave irradiation (Fe-NDC-M) and (2) solvothermally using a conventional electric oven (Fe-NDC-O). They were characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and N2 sorption experiments. The characterization results showed that the synthesized samples were crystals with a rod-like shape. The particle diameters ranged between 50-80 nm with a length of 300-450 nm. The BJH adsorption averagepore diameters were found to be 148.551 Å and 139.265 Å for Fe-NDC-M and Fe-NDC-O, respectively. As a result, the new Fe-NDC-MOF particles can be used as nanocarriers for anticancer drug delivery applications utilizing the enhanced permeability and retention effect.