Synthesis and Application of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks with Polydopamine Coatings for the Removal of Water Pollutants

Globally, humanity is faced with a shortage of clean drinking water. Even in North America, our water tables are filled with various containments, ranging from lead to pesticides and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While current water purification methods such as tap water filters and water treatment plants remove some contaminants, they aren't all-encompassing. Furthermore, they aren’t reusable and can even generate more pollutants in the process, such as the generation of haloacetic acids during the water treatment process. However, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) could be a potential material used to address this issue. ZIF’s are a subclass of porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) made from organic linkers and metal nodes. The structure of a ZIF is analogous to a steel building frame where the joints are the metal nodes and the beams are the organic linkers, allowing for the structure to be tuned by changing linkers and nodes. This creates an exciting opportunity to design materials that have a high potential for reusability and are specific to target pollutants. In this project, we have made a variety of ZIFs to take advantage of this tunability. Carbaryl, manganese, and haloacetic acids were chosen as model pollutants for removal studies given their presence and local impact on North Georgia. ZIF-7, ZIF-8, and ZIF-615 were selected for this study. Various methods will be examined to better understand the effects of time and surface contact of contaminants on the surface of ZIFs through packed beds, soaking, and flow apparatuses. This work is aimed at the long-term goal of developing reusable, tailorable, and efficient water treatment methods