A manganese oxide/MOF nano-composite for the adsorption of methylene blue from an aqueous solution

Abstract Metal-organic framework composites exhibit several advantages, including water stability which is critical for the actual applications of MOF in aqueous-phase media. In this regard, a new MnO2/IRMOF-3 composite material was synthesized via the bottle-around-ship method and characterized using different techniques. The potential of the synthesized material was examined for the removal of methylene blue from an aqueous solution, as the structure becomes more water-stable by embedding the MnO2 nanoparticles in the IRMOF-3 framework. The potential of this composite has been studied as an adsorbent to remove methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The effect of adsorbent dosages, adsorbate concentration, pH of the solution, and adsorbant-adsorbate contact time was investigated. The synthesized material shows high efficiency in removing the methylene blue from an aqueous solution at almost neutral pH conditions with low contact time.