In Situ Growth of a Stable Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) on Flexible Fabric via a Layer-by-Layer Strategy for Versatile Applications

Abstract

Fabrics have been used broadly in daily life for an enormous variety of applications due to their intrinsic advantages, such as flexibility, renewability, and good processability. Integrating natural fabrics with metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) is an effective strategy to improve the added value of textiles with special functionalities. Here, a facile, lowcost, and scalable technology is reported for the in situ growth of MOFs on cotton fabrics. A uniform and dense coating of regular octahedral Cu-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (CuBTC) crystals was formed on the fiber surface, followed by treatment with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane and triethoxyoctylsilane to create a superhydrophobic CuBTC@cotton fabric (SMCF), which greatly improved its water stability and extended superhydrophobic CuBTC's potential applications. The as-prepared MCF has a specific surface area of 229 m 2 /g, which is 11 times that of pristine fabrics (21 m 2 /g). This high porosity further endows the fabric with enhanced loading capacity of essential oils to enable excellent antibacterial ability. Moreover, the SMCF also exhibits excellent self-cleaning, UV shielding, and anti-icing performances. In addition, we performed COMSOL simulations to investigate the dynamic freezing process of water on the surface of samples, which agrees well with our experimental observations. By combining the merits of both fabrics and MOFs, the MCF is expected to extend the applications of traditional textiles in antifouling, safety, the fragrance industry, and healthcare for the next-generation multifunctional fabrics.

Composites of Silk Nanofibrils and Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheets for Fluorescence-Based Sensing and UV Shielding

“…Introducing metal ions , and/or aromatic ring structures , to a biopolymer matrix is often used to endow the composite materials with UV-shielding property as the electrons with low energy could absorb the photonic energy and transfer to the conduction band with high energy when exposed to the incident light. Both phenyl ring-containing aromatic amino acid residue (tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan) in the SF sequence and tetraphenylethylene (TPE) molecule in the MOF structure were native in the RSF–MOF composite.…”

Functional Textiles with Smart Properties: Their Fabrications and Sustainable Applications

“…This highly porous CuBTC@cotton fabric exhibited excellent antibacterial, self‐cleaning, UV shielding, and anti‐icing performances. [ 127 ] Despite the extensive use of nanomaterials in textile functionalization and even textile industry, manufacturing costs and environmental safety from the releasing of nanomaterials have always been two of the major concerns on the commercial application of nanomaterial‐functionalized textiles. Consequently, the breakthrough in these aspects would represent significant progress toward the commercialization of these products.…”

Advanced polymer processing technologies for micro‐ and nanostructured surfaces: A review

“…In another study by Li et al, [ 167 ] a metal–organic framework (MOF) consisting of a uniform and dense coating of regular octahedral Cu‐1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylic acid (CuBTC) crystals was integrated onto a cotton fabric yarn. Along with a hydrophobic modification of the surface by a 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H‐perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane monolayer (POTS), the MOF fabric showed excellent superhydrophobicity.…”