Capture of iodine in solution and vapor phases by newly synthesized and characterized encapsulated Cu2O nanoparticles into the TMU-17-NH2 MOF.

The efficient capture and storage of radioactive iodine (129I or 131I) formed during the extensive use of nuclear energy is of paramount importance. Therefore, it is a great deal to design new adsorbents for effectively disposing of iodine from nuclear waste. In this work, a new Cu2O/TMU-17-NH2 composite has been prepared by a simple encapsulation of Cu2O nanoparticles (NPs) into the metal organic framework (MOF) TMU-17-NH2 for the first time. The as-synthesized Cu2O/TMU-17-NH2 was fully characterized in details and the iodine sorption/release capability of the Cu2O/TMU-17-NH2 composite has been investigated both in solution and in the vapor phase. According to the FE-SEM images, the Cu2O/TMU-17-NH2 was obtained with same morphology to that of the pristine TMU-17-NH2. The I2 sorption/release experiments were examined by UV-vis spectroscopy. The optimal iodine sorption was obtained by almost complete removal of iodine with a sorption capacity of about 567 mg/g. Detailed experimental evidence demonstrating that the iodine was captured by chemisorption process. Furthermore, photoluminescence (PL) properties of Cu2O/TMU-17-NH2 have also been investigated in which indicate that the Cu2O/TMU-17-NH2 composite exhibits stronger emission than the pristine TMU-17-NH2.