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Metastable Zirconium Phosphate under Nanoconfinement with Superior Adsorption Capability for Water Treatment
Author(s) -
Zhang Xiaolin,
Shen Jialin,
Pan Siyuan,
Qian Jieshu,
Pan Bingcai
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201909014
Subject(s) - materials science , nucleation , chemical engineering , crystallization , metastability , adsorption , zirconium , zirconium phosphate , mesoporous material , phosphate , chemical physics , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , catalysis , chemistry , engineering , metallurgy
In confined space with length scale of several nanometers, the phase behavior of matter, e.g., nucleation and crystallization, is completely different from its analogue in bulk. However, in environmental applications, the relationship between the nanoconfined crystallization behavior of inorganic crystals and their properties for pollutant removal is rarely elucidated. Herein, an unusual formation of zirconium phosphate (ZrP) crystals as a mixture of both thermodynamically stable α‐ and metastable γ‐phases inside the nanoconfinement of 7.9 nm pores of mesoporous polystyrene (MPS) is reported. This consequently changes the interaction between ZrP and toxic metal cations from nonspecific electrostatic attraction of normal α‐ZrP to highly specific inner‐sphere coordination of nanoconfined γ‐ZrP, which exhibits remarkable reactivity as well as reusability for the removal of toxic metals. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the use of nanoconfinement for the regulation of material properties.