Ultrafast Capture of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Water by Mesoporous Zirconium Metal–Organic Frameworks

Contamination of surface and groundwater sources by emerging persistent pollutants has presented a global environmental challenge that demands advanced remediation materials. This work exploits the large mesopores and unsaturated inorganic nodes in MIP-206-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for the highly efficient adsorption of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) from water. The materials display excellent performance for long-chain PFCAs, achieving removal efficiencies up to >99% within seconds. Detailed mechanistic studies, including synchrotron analyses, provide key insights into the development of optimized PFCA sorbents via multiple interaction types.