Facile preparation of recyclable porous poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microsphere with in-situ grown UiO-66-NH2 MOF for adsorption of fluoroquinolone antibiotics

The persistent presence of antibiotic contaminants, such as fluoroquinolones (FQs), in aquatic environments poses significant environmental risks. In this study, a porous poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PPGMA) microsphere adsorbent was designed for the efficient removal of FQs. Acrylate monomers were dispersed in water to prepare an oil-in-water high internal phase emulsion, which was subsequently subjected to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for 3 min to prepare the microsphere with high yield. To template the porous structure, cyclohexane, a poor solvent for the polymer, was introduced into the initial monomer oil phase, and its influence on the evolution of porous morphology was systematically investigated. Thereafter, the porous microsphere was modified through grafting with polyethyleneimine to facilitate the in-situ growth of a metal-organic framework, UiO-66-NH 2 . The modification progress was monitored, and the final UiO@PPGMA microspheres were comprehensively characterized. Based on adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics, the microsphere containing only 2.78 % UiO-66-NH 2 exhibits significantly enhanced adsorption rate and capacity, which can be attributed to the in-situ grown UiO-66-NH 2 nanoparticles. Furthermore, the UiO@PPGMA microsphere can be easily regenerated, allowing it to be packed in a column for cyclic fixed-bed adsorption. Consequently, our results demonstrate a facile strategy for preparing porous microsphere adsorbents, which may have promising applications in the removal of antibiotic contaminants from water sources.