Designing a Modified Metal Organic Framework Bearing Poly(2-methacryloyloxy ethyl acetoacetate) and Its Application in the Detection of Heavy Metal Ions

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a unique class of hybrid supramolecular solids comprising inorganic and organic linkers strongly attached to metal ions. These compounds have garnered significant interest in the materials community due to their high surface area, tunable pore diameters, and diverse structural features. However, the solvothermal methods typically used for MOF development can introduce several issues related to steric hindrance, solubility, and metal coordination. To address these challenges, incorporating functional polymeric groups into MOFs through postsynthetic modification (PSM) can preserve their structural integrity while maintaining their unique characteristics. This investigation reports the preparation of a polymer-containing MOF (PcMOF) using functional polymer units and examines its capacity for detecting heavy metal ions in water. Specifically, the modified polymer-containing MOF, IRMOF-3- g -PMEAA, was synthesized from the Zn-based isoreticular metal–organic framework-3 (IRMOF-3) and subsequently grafted with poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl acetoacetate] (PMEAA). This PcMOF was thoroughly characterized by using TGA, XRD, SEM, TEM, and UV–vis. Fluorescence analysis was employed to detect heavy metals such as Fe 3+, Cu 2+, Hg 2+, and Pb 2+ ions in water. This study presents a promising approach for utilizing PMEAA-based PcMOFs as fluorescent materials for heavy metal ion sensing in an aqueous environment.