Effect from Mechanical Stirring Time and Speed on Adsorption Performance of ZIF-90 for n-Hexane

Zeolite imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) represent a class of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for various potential applications due to their outstanding properties. However, to date, the creation of nanoframes with tunable structure faces a challenge. Herein, we develop a facile and efficient physical method that allows the preparation of ZIF-90 with controllable surface area. In this study, the effect of various stirring time and speed in the acceleration of the precursor dissolution are revealed. The study shows that a moderate stirring speed (640 r · min –1 ) and reaction time (6 h) are the optimal conditions to synthesize ZIF-90 with a high adsorption capacity. More importantly, the maximum adsorption amount of n -hexane is up to 211 mg · g –1 by using this as-prepared sample, which increases by 60 % in comparison with that of the minimum from other sample (133 mg · g –1 ).