Room-Temperature Rapid Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheets with Tunable Hierarchical Porosity for Enhanced Adsorption Desulfurization Performance

Two-dimensional (2D) metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets with tunable hierarchical porosity have promising applications owing to their fascinating physicochemical characteristics. However, one of the major challenges limiting their industrial production is their room-temperature rapid synthesis. Herein, we report the one-step facile synthesis of 2D CuBDC MOF nanosheets via a cooperative template approach that facilitates room-temperature synthesis conditions and shortens the crystallization time to 30 min owing to the synergistic effect of ZnO and its template. Structural analyses based on powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy data confirm the 2D layered structure of products with nanometer thickness (∼20 nm) and uniform distribution of ZnO. The as-synthesized 2D CuBDC MOFs exhibited hierarchical porous structures (micropores, mesopores, and macropores) and excellent thermal stabilities, which were evidenced by N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, pore size distributions, and stability tests. The morphologies and porosities of 2D CuBDC MOFs can be tuned by controlling the amount and order of the addition of the template. The resultant 2D CuBDC nanosheets exhibited better desulfurization rate and sulfur adsorption capacity than their bulk microporous counterparts for the removal of sulfur compounds in model oils, thus reflecting the enormous potential for the industrial-scale production of 2D MOF nanosheets using the efficient strategy with low cost and numerous possible applications.