Recent trends on MIL-88(Fe) metal-organic frameworks: synthesis and applications in pollutant removal and detection

Abstract

Plastic, pharmaceutical, and heavy metal pollution continues to escalate, creating an urgent need for efficient detection and removal of hazardous pollutants. Consequently, emerging technologies are critically required to advance environmental monitoring and remediation. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as porous, flexible, and multifunctional materials with unique structural characteristics, offer viable solutions to these challenges, with MIL-88(Fe) serving as the central focus of this study. In this paper, we review the synthesis and applications of MIL-88(Fe): we summarize and compare its solvothermal, microwave-assisted, electrochemical, ultrasonic, and mechanochemical synthesis methods, and systematically review the removal and detection of organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals by MIL-88(Fe) and its composites under varying conditions. MIL-88(Fe) exhibits notable advantages: it possesses a stable and tunable structure, enabling adaptation to complex environments; it demonstrates high adsorption capacity and detection sensitivity; it achieves high efficiency through mechanisms including coordination, electrostatic adsorption, and π-π stacking; and it is reusable, thereby reducing application costs. In conclusion, MIL-88(Fe) is a multifunctional material for environmental remediation, and its potential has been validated. Future research should focus on optimizing its performance, scaling up synthesis, integrating it with other materials and technologies, and enhancing environmental protection and pollution control.