X-ray Study Explores Atomic Structure of Tiny Traps for Heavy metals

From AZO Materials

Researchers have developed a specialized type of glowing metal organic framework, or LMOF (molecular structure at center), that is designed to detect and remove heavy-metal toxins from water. At upper left, mercury (Hg) is taken in by the LMOF. The graph at lower left shows how the LMOF’s fluorescence is turned off as it binds up the mercury. Its properties make this LMOF useful for both detecting and trapping heavy-metal toxins. (Credit: Rutgers University)

Tiny, glowing crystals that are designed to identify and capture heavy-metal toxins such as mercury or lead could be a powerful new tool ideal for both locating and cleaning up water sources that are contaminated.

Motivated by publicized cases where high levels of heavy metals were detected in drinking water in Flint, Mich., and Newark, N.J., a science team headed by researchers at Rutgers University used intense X-rays at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to explore the structure of the crystals they developed and study how they bind to heavy metals.

The crystals function like reusable, miniature traps and sensors, and are known as luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs).

Read the full article here: http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=46894

---

Make sure to follow this profile @contentjunkie to stay up to date on more great posts like this one.