Enhanced separation of potassium ions by spontaneous K+-induced self-assembly of a novel metal-organic framework and excess specific cation-π interactions

Wenyu Wu; Alexander M Kirillov; Xuhuan Yan; Panpan Zhou; Weisheng Liu; Yu Tang

doi:10.1002/anie.201404470

Enhanced separation of potassium ions by spontaneous K+-induced self-assembly of a novel metal-organic framework and excess specific cation-π interactions

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014 Sep 26;53(40):10649-53. doi: 10.1002/anie.201404470. Epub 2014 Aug 11.

Authors

Wenyu Wu¹, Alexander M Kirillov, Xuhuan Yan, Panpan Zhou, Weisheng Liu, Yu Tang

Affiliation

¹ Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China).

PMID: 25112776
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201404470

Abstract

A novel metal-organic framework (MOF) was fabricated by spontaneous K(+)-induced supramolecular self-assembly with the embedded tripodal ligand units. When the 3D ligand was loaded onto Fe3O4@mSiO2 core-shell nanoparticles, it could effectively separate K(+) ions from a mixture of Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), and Ca(2+) ions through nanoparticle-assisted MOF crystallization into a Fe3O4@mSiO2@MOF hybrid material. Excess potassium ions could be extracted because of the specific cation-π interaction between K(+) and the aromatic cavity of the MOF, leading to enhanced separation efficiency and suggesting a new application for MOFs.

Keywords: hybrid materials; ion extraction; metal-organic framework; potassium; self-assembly.