Synthesis of Iron Doped Zeolite Imidazolate Framework-8 and Its Remazol Deep Black RGB Dye Adsorption Ability

Abstract

Zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) and the iron doped ZIF-8 (Fe-ZIF-8) were synthesized by the hydrothermal process. The obtained materials were characteristic of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results showed that the obtained Fe-ZIF-8 possessed the ZIF-8 structure with a large specific area. ZIF-8 and Fe-ZIF-8 were used for the removal of Remazol Deep Black (RDB) RGB dye from aqueous solutions. The various factors affecting adsorption such as pH, initial concentration, contact time, and temperature were investigated. The results showed that the introduction of iron into ZIF-8 provided a much larger adsorption capacity and faster adsorption kinetics than ZIF-8 without iron. The electrostatic interaction and π-π interaction between the aromatic rings of the RDB dye and the aromatic imidazolate rings of the adsorbent were responsible for the RDB adsorption. Moreover, the coordination of the nitrogen atoms and oxygen in carboxyl group in RDB molecules with the Fe2+ ions in the ZIF-8 framework played a vital role for the effective removal of RDB from aqueous solution.