MOFabric: Electrospun Nanofiber Mats from PVDF/UiO-66-NH₂ for Chemical Protection and Decontamination

Abstract

Textiles capable of capture and detoxification of toxic chemicals, such as chemical-warfare agents (CWAs), are of high interest. Some metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit superior reactivity toward CWAs. However, it remains a challenge to integrate powder MOFs into engineered materials like textiles, while retaining functionalities like crystallinity, adsorptivity, and reactivity. Here, we present a simple method of electrospinning UiO-66-NH₂, a zirconium MOF, with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The electrospun composite, which we refer to as "MOFabric", exhibits comparable crystal patterns, surface area, chlorine uptake, and simulant hydrolysis to powder UiO-66-NH₂. The MOFabric is also capable of breaking down GD (O-pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridae) faster than powder UiO-66-NH_2. Half-life of GD monitored by solid-state NMR for MOFabric is 131 min versus 315 min on powder UiO-66-NH₂.