Investigating the Mechanism of Selective Adsorption of Nucleoside Compounds by Hydrophilic Flower-Like Zr-MOF Nanosheets

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit a diverse array of applications in the fields of adsorption, catalysis, sensing, and separation. However, the limited water stability of MOFs poses challenges in the separation domain, particularly due to the structural similarities among water-soluble nucleoside compounds, which complicate the selective adsorptive separation of these compounds from complex mixtures. In this study, hydrophilic flower-like zirconium-based MOF nanosheets (Zr-FNSs) were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. The investigation focused on their adsorption capacity and the mechanism of action, with respect to various nucleosides. Adsorption experiments were conducted under varying pH conditions to identify the optimal pH and to assess the influence of phosphate number on the adsorption of adenosine compounds. The kinetic adsorption capacities of Zr-FNSs for adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were determined to be 254.81, 211.35, and 182.97 μmol g–1, respectively, demonstrating a gradient decrease that may be attributed to increased spatial resistance or a limited number of available adsorption sites. Zr-FNSs have excellent regenerative properties. This work underscores the significance of functional group interactions in the selective adsorption of nucleoside and provides valuable insights for the design of MOF-based adsorbents for the selective separation and purification of nucleoside.