Read the full article by Prachi Patel (Chemical & Engineering News)
“With a few chemical tweaks to a known metal-organic framework (MOF), researchers have developed a material that quickly detects and removes a common per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) from contaminated water (J. Mater. Chem. C 2025, DOI: 10.1039/D5TC01765C).
PFAS are chemicals that persist in the environment and that can be toxic at low levels. Researchers in academia and industry are racing to develop PFAS sensorsas well as methods to remove or destroy these so-called forever chemicals.
The new MOF glows under ultraviolet light when it detects the common PFAS perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and it captures 99% of PFOA from 50 parts per billion (ppb) aqueous solutions within minutes. ‘Multifunctional materials like this one can be key to optimizing PFAS treatment technologies by streamlining detection and removal into a single, efficient platform,’ says Mario Wriedt, a chemist at the University of Texas at Dallas who was not involved in the work.” …