Superior adsorption performance of high temperature solvothermal synthesized zirconium metal-organic framework nanoparticles in dye removal

In the present study, a zirconium-based metal-organic framework (UiO-66) nanoparticle was synthesized by solvothermal technique and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, BET analyses and zeta potential measurements. The effectiveness of UiO-66 nanoparticles for crystal violet (CV) adsorption was examined. CV removal process reached equilibrium in 30 min and the system was consistent with the pseudo-second-order model, which involves chemical reactions. The equilibrium results were compatible with the Dubinin-Raduskevich isotherm model. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was calculated as 998.18 mg g−1. It was deduced that CV removal rate was low when the solution pH was acidic, and surface charge was dominant in adsorption. In thermodynamic analysis, CV adsorption process is exothermic and spontaneous. The reusability of UiO-66 was investigated and 80.04% CV removal was obtained even after 5 successful cycles. According to the results, UiO-66 nanoparticles have a promising potential for rapid and efficient removal of CV dye.