Evaporation-Induced Reticular Growth of UiO-66_NH2 in Chitosan Films: Adsorption of Iodine

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2025 Jan 15;17(2):3952-3961. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c18621. Epub 2025 Jan 7.

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) combined with polymers as hybrid materials offer numerous advantages such as enhanced performances through synergistic effects at their interface. The primary challenge in developing polymer/MOF hybrid matrix films is ensuring optimal dispersion and strong adhesion of crystalline MOFs to the polymer without aggregation, weak interaction, or phase separation. In this study, hierarchically porous UiO-66_NH2/chitosan (ZrCSx-f) films were designed by crystallizing UiO-66_NH2 within a chitosan (CS) skeleton. The resulting ZrCSx-f films displayed remarkable homogeneity with high loadings of UiO-66_NH2 crystals, up to 45 wt %, coupled to a high adsorption capacity of iodine in gas phase, up to 317 mg.g-1.

Keywords: I2 vapor adsorption; UiO-66_NH2 MOF; chitosan; gas adsorption; green synthesis; porous films.