Chemical Engineering Journal 428 (2022) 132561 Available online 21 September 2021 1385-8947/© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Strongly co-ordinated MOF-PSF matrix for selective adsorption, separation and photodegradation of dyes Karthikeyarajan Vinothkumar a , Mannekote Shivanna Jyothi a, c , Chandra Lavanya a , Mohan Sakar a , Suresh Valiyaveettil b , R Geetha Balakrishna a, * a Centre for Nano and Material Sciences, Jain University, Bangalore 562112, Karnataka, India b Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore c Department of Chemistry, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Shavige Malleshwara Hills, Kumaraswamy Layout, Bengaluru, 560078, India A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: MIL-101(Fe) NH 2 -MIL-101(Fe) MOF/PSf membranes Dye removal Wastewater treatment Photodegradation ABSTRACT Though adsorption and separation processes using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for water treatment are highly promising, the disposal of adsorbed or rejected contaminants still remains a major challenge. Herein, we report photocatalytic (PC) MOF-embedded polysulfone (PSf) membranes for separation and degradation of those contaminants, thus providing a solution for decontamination of water. Fe-based MOF, namely MIL-101(Fe), have been modifed to incorporate amine functional groups (NH 2 -MIL-101(Fe)) to enhance the optical properties (possessing a bandgap of 1.7 eV) and to control the surface charges for the selective adsorption of contaminants. Such functional Fe-MOF, is embedded into polysulfone (PSf) membrane, to give photocatalytic MOF-membrane that is successfully applied for selective adsorption, separation and degradation of adsorbed contaminants. The MOF-integrated membranes were found to inherit the properties of MOFs, that confrmed the manifestation of hydrophilic properties in membranes. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking between MOF and PSf facilitated strong coordination between them. Leaching studies demonstrate the intact MOFs in PSf matrix. Two model dyes, cationic rhodamine B (RhB) and anionic methyl orange (MO), were chosen for the study to demonstrate the selectivity of membranes towards these dyes. The obtained PC MOF-membrane showed an improved water fux together with good rejection and degradation effciency. Antifouling capacity has been tremendously increased and above-par, reaching fux recovery ratio (FRR) values above 95%. This work offers insights into designing strongly coordinated functional PC MOF membranes with polychronic effects. Good water fux and antifouling capacity (are usually the bottlenecks in existing commercial membranes) achieved in these MOF membranes make them attractive candidates for pilot applications. 1. Introduction Membranes show excellent competence towards sustainable water treatment processes with additional benefts of less energy consumption and cost [1,2]. Membrane water treatment is commonly used for removal of organic contaminants [3], heavy metal ions [4], oil/water separation [5] and desalination [6]. One of the biggest concerns to apply these membranes to practical applications is the lack of permeability fux. For an ideal membrane, the permeability co-effcient should be high, leading to good permeability fux. In this context, pore-forming agents such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) [7,8], lithium chloride (LiCl) [9] and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) [10] have been widely used to improve the fux. Such additives are soluble in polar solvents and therefore result in enhanced porosity upon phase inversion process. Similarly, the mixed matrix membranes (MMM) could be best alterna- tives to address this challenge. Accordingly, hydrophilic nanoscale materials such as TiO 2 [11], silver [12], silica [13] and zeolite [14] have been incorporated into various polymeric matrices to enhance the permeability fux. In this direction, MOFs have also been established as performance enhancers when embedded in membrane matrices [15]. MOFs are highly ordered porous organic–inorganic hybrid crystalline coordina- tion polymers and have shown potential applications in catalysis, adsorption, gas separation, gas storage and gas capture due to their tailorable intrinsic properties such as high surface area and porosity [16]. ZIF-8/PSS (poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)) membranes were * Corresponding author. E-mail address: br.geetha@jainuniversity.ac.in (R.G. Balakrishna). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Chemical Engineering Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cej https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.132561 Received 7 June 2021; Received in revised form 13 September 2021; Accepted 16 September 2021