Immobilization Seeding Layers Using Precursor for Fabricating Core-Shell Polyimide/Cu-BTC Hierarchical Nanofibers with High Gas Separation and Adsorption of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers, are a class of crystalline porous materials consisting of metal ion nodes held together by multitopic organic ligands. Among MOFs, Cu–BTC is a well-studied benchmark MOF. In practical applications, supported porous and stable MOFs on the surface of nanofibers, which provide a high specific surface area and prevent aggregation of the microstructure, may be very useful. This paper reports a facile strategy for the synthesis of core–shell polyimide/Cu–BTC hierarchical nanofibers by combining electrospinning, step-by-step seeding, and hydrothermal process. The Cu–BTC nanocrystals can be well immobilized onto the surface of polyimide nanofibers. The hierarchical nanofibers exhibited high gas separation and adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution.