Green synthesis and morphological engineering of Zn–lysine BioMOFs: A systematic structural assessment under tunable reaction conditions

Green approaches to developing bio-based metal-organic frameworks (BioMOFs) are also a gap in the area of advanced materials. This paper is concerned with synthesizing three zinc-lysine MOFs and discussing the way their structure features and morphology are modified under different reaction conditions. Traditional hydrothermal processes were applied to synthesize BioMOF-1 and BioMOF-2 at 150 °C and 100 °C, respectively. However, BioMOF-3 was synthesized following a new low-temperature, non-autoclave, magnetic stir ring technique in water-ethanol solution at 45 °C. FTIR, XRD, SEM, and BET were used to characterize the samples. BioMOF-3 had a better surface framework architecture and BET surface area of 43.59 m 2 /g, which is one of the largest BET surface areas of all lysine-related MOFs, and an evenly distributed mesopore range of 3–16.5 nm. Through this, the surface area of BioMOF-3 was improved and allowed to control the morphology of the particles to result in discrete, weakly aggregated, sub-micron, lamellar crystals. BioMOF-3 has been shown to have potential in adsorbing heavy metal ions, but thus the detailed adsorption experiments are not within the scope of the work, and they are regarded as the focus of our future research. However, the fact that this synthesis lacks high-temperature conditions and open vessels testifies to the greener and scalable nature of the synthesis. The study creates a new environmentally friendly avenue for the manufacture of MOFs, which can be further advanced to be used in environmentally-based clean-up operations and the creation of bio-friendly porous materials as well. • Synthesized three zinc-lysine BioMOFs using varied reaction conditions for structural control. • Developed BioMOF-3 via a novel low-temp, non-autoclave, magnetic stir method at 45 °C. • BioMOF-3 showed superior BET surface area (43.59 m 2 /g) and uniform meso pores (3–16 nm). • Morphology control yielded discrete, weakly aggregated sub-micron lamellar crystals. • Green synthesis approach enables eco-friendly, scalable BioMOF production for clean-up use.