Mechanism of accurate recognition and catalysis of diethyl phthalate (DEP) in wastewater by novel MIL100 molecularly imprinted materials

In this study, MIL100(Fe-base metal organic framework) molecularly imprinted catalyst(MIL100-MIP) was synthesized using the surface imprinting method. Results determining the pore structures as well as the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of MIL100-MIP showed that the recognition process of imprinted materials containing DEP occurred on the outer surface. By regulating the thickness of the imprinted layer to optimize persulfate(PS) transfer, the transfer efficiency of PS and the rate constant(K) of MIL100-MIP were four times higher than that of MIL100. With the synergy of adsorption and catalysis, the removal of DEP from MIL100-MIP reached 105.2 mg g −1 . The precise adsorption of DEP was mainly realized by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic forces and hydrophobic interactions of π-π stacking. The enhanced DEP concentration on the surface improves the contact efficiency between the sulfate radicals and the pollutants, thereby promoting its catalytic performance. Such molecularly imprinted catalysis materials have an enormous potential for waste water treatment.