Construction of dual-imprinted UiO-66 s for highly efficient and synergistic Co-adsorption of diclofenac sodium and Cu(II)

[Display omitted] •Cu(II) and DBA construct dual-imprinted pores in UiO-66 s to enhance the adsorption of Cu(II)/DCF.•Dual-imprinted UiO-66 s exhibit larger pores and expose more unsaturated Zr cluster/–OH.•DCF and Cu(II) were adsorbed by UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA through H-bonding and coordination.•Adsorbed DCF/Cu(II) act as new bridging sites for UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA to adsorb more Cu(II)/DCF.•UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA shows high adsorption capacities for DCF/Cu(II) with 757/164 mg/g in binary system. Introducing imprinted pores into microporous UiO-66 to regulate the pore structure and surface properties can enhance adsorption properties. In-situ dual-imprinting of copper ion (Cu(II)) and 2,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid (DBA) was used to construct adsorption sites for Cu(II) and diclofenac sodium (DCF) in the dual-imprinted UiO-66 (UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA). Characterization results revealed UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA has a higher mesoporous volume, varied –COOH and –OH groups, and unsaturated Zr metal sites. Based on these sites, Cu(II) and DCF could be adsorbed by coordination with the unsaturated Zr metal sites and H-bonding with –COOH, –OH groups. Therefore, the adsorption capacities of UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA for single Cu(II) and DCF rose to 66 and 475 mg/g, which were 2.3 and 4.5 times the original UiO-66 capacities, respectively. Meanwhile, the adsorbed Cu(II) and DCF may be utilized as bridge molecules to adsorb more Cu(II) and DCF. As a consequence, the adsorption capacities of UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA for Cu(II) and DCF increased to 164 and 757 mg/g, respectively, which was 3.2 and 1.6 times higher in the mixed system than in the one-component system. These properties demonstrate the potential application of UiO(Zr/Cu)-DBA to remove Cu(II) and DCF concurrently, as well as a new guideline for removing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and heavy metals (HMs) from aquatic environments.