Integration of Phosphotungstic Acid into Zeolitic Imidazole Framework-67 for Efficient Methylene Blue Adsorption

To enhance the dye adsorption capacity of zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67), phosphotungstic acid (HPW) was integrated into ZIF-67 to prepare composite adsorbents. Characterization results demonstrated that the electronegative HPW was uniformly and tightly deposited on the electropositive ZIF-67. Methylene blue (MB) was selected as a model contaminant to evaluate the adsorption performance of hybrid adsorbents. Results showed that HPW@ZIF-67 had excellent adsorption capacity toward cationic MB. The optimal ZIF-67-0.2 HPW sample with a HPW dosage of 9.9 wt % presented an adsorption capacity of 446.4 mg g–1. ZIF-67-0.2 HPW displayed good reusability, and the adsorption data can be well described by pseudo-second order and Langmuir isotherm models. The adsorption mechanism was ascribed to the preferred electrostatic attraction and π–π stacking between MB and composite adsorbents. This work provides a route to enhance organic dye removal efficiency of ZIF materials through regulation of surface charge property and sheds light on the development of ZIF-based adsorbents.