A hybrid material composed of an amino-functionalized zirconium-based metal-organic framework and a urea-based porous organic polymer as an efficient sorbent for extraction of uranium(VI).

An amino-functionalized zirconium metal-organic framework was composed with a 3D urea-based porous organic polymer to give a hybrid material termed UiO-66-NH2/urea-POP. The material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements. It is shown to be a viable sorbent for solid-phase extraction of uranium from water samples. Parameters such as the pH value of the sample, amount of adsorbent, type and volume of eluent, adsorption and desorption time, and sample volume were optimized. Uranyl ion was quantified by using UV-vis spectrophotometry by using 1-(2-pyridyl-azo)-2-naphthol as the indicator. Figures of merits include (a) a maximum sorption capacity of 278 mg g-1; (b) a detection limit of 0.6 μg L-1; and (c) intra-day and inter-day precisions (for n = 5 at a concentration of 100 μg L-1) of 4.8 and 1.9%, respectively. The sorbent can be recycled, and no significant change was observed in the capacity and repeatability of the sorbent after seven extractions. The high surface area, metal-binding sites, and stability of the sorbent makes it a most viable tool for efficient and fast extraction and removal of uranium. Graphical abstract Schematic of a new porous hybrid solid, referred to as UiO-66-NH2/urea-POP. It combines a zirconium-based metal-organic framework and a urea-based porous organic polymer. It is shown to be a highly efficient sorbent for solid-phase extraction of uranium(VI) prior to its spectrophotometric determination.