Dataset for "Lead, Locked Away: Porous Zr-Phytate Coordination Polymer for Rapid and Selective Removal of Pb from Water"

Coordination polymers (CPs) often suffer from poor hydrolytic and chemical stability, limiting their use in water remediation. We report a highly robust, amorphous coordination polymer synthesized from Zr4+ and bio-available phytic acid, featuring stable Zr–O–P bonds that resist degradation even in 10 M HCl, HNO3, and H2SO4. The material forms a micro-mesoporous network under mild conditions in water and consists of mononuclear ZrO6 units bridged by phosphate groups. Zr-Phytate exhibits excellent Pb2+ removal performance, maintaining high efficiency even in the presence of excess competing ions. Its exceptional chemical durability allows efficient regeneration using 1 M HCl, with no detectable leaching of Zr or phytic acid and no loss of structural integrity over multiple cycles. Compared to commercial ion-exchange resins, Zr-Phytate offers superior selectivity and reusability. This work demonstrates the importance of designing stable coordination polymers and highlights the promise of zirconium-phosphate networks for applications in water remediation.