Fe3O4@PAA@UiO-66-NH2 magnetic nanocomposite for selective adsorption of Quercetin.

In the present study, a magnetic core-shell metal-organic framework (Fe3O4@PAA@UiO-66-NH2) nanocomposite was synthesized by a facile step-by-step self-assembly technique and used for selective adsorption of the anti-cancer Quercetin (QCT) drug. The synthesized nanocomposite was well characterized using FTIR, XRD, BET, FESEM, and TEM techniques. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of the magnetic nanocomposites for QCT were investigated in detail at different initial concentrations and temperatures. It was found that the experimental adsorption kinetic and isotherm data were precisely explained by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. Moreover, the selective adsorption ability of the synthesized nanocomposite against various drugs in the single, binary, and ternary solutions containing QCT, Curcumin (CUR), and Methotrexate (MTX) drugs was also studied. The synthesized adsorbent showed good adsorption selectivity for QCT against CUR and MTX. The adsorption mechanism of QCT on the nanocomposite might be related to the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions via π-π stacking interactions between the benzene ring skeleton of QCT and the aromatic structure of the adsorbent nanoparticles. The regeneration and reusability studies demonstrated that the developed adsorbent sustained good structural stability and adequate adsorption capacity for QCT after ten consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles.