Point-of-Use SERS Approach for Efficient Determination and Removal of Phthalic Acid Esters Based on a Metal–Organic Framework-Coated Melamine Sponge

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and their real-time monitoring and removal remain challenging. Herein, a point-of-use (POU) device integrating adsorption, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and removal strategy was developed and realized ultrafast on-site determination of PAEs and cleanup of them from water. A piece of flexible melamine sponge (MS) was coated with gold nanostars (AuNSs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), thus obtaining SERS activity and adsorption capacity. Based on this multifunctional AuNSs@MOFs/MS composite, clear trends were observed between SERS signal intensity and concentration of di­(2-ethylhexyl)­phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The method detection limits of DEHP and DBP were calculated to be 0.75 × 10–7 and 0.67 × 10–7 M in water, respectively, proving good sensitivity. Furthermore, this POU device exhibited satisfactory adsorption capacity (∼82.3 g/g for DBP and ∼90.0 g/g for DEHP), high adsorption efficiency (equilibrium in 100 s), and good regeneration capability (removal efficiency >70% after 5 cycles). The applicability of this device was verified by its good determination and removal performance in real environmental water matrices. The whole process could be completed within 5 min. This approach provides a new POU alternative for real-time monitoring and removal of PAEs in water.