ALD 'Nano-kebab' fabric breaks down chemical warfare agents

Angewandte Chemie International Edition has a new interesting paper for all us ALD and Kebab lovers. Check out all the details in the free to download supporting information. A custom ALD system was used for all the ALD.

Researchers have created a fabric material containing nanoscale fibers that are capable of degrading chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Uniform coatings of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized on top of the nanofibers, forming unique kebab-like structures. These MOFs are what break down the CWAs, rendering them harmless. Full story (Picture credit NC State University)

Ultra-Fast Degradation of Chemical Warfare Agents Using MOF–Nanofiber Kebabs

Junjie Zhao, Dennis T. Lee, Robert W. Yaga, Morgan G. Hall, Heather F. Barton, Ian R. Woodward, Christopher J. Oldham, Howard J. Walls, Gregory W. Peterson,* and Gregory N. Parsons*

Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2016). DOI: 10.1002/anie.201606656

The threat associated with chemical warfare agents (CWAs) motivates the development of new materials to provide enhanced protection with a reduced burden. Metal–organic frame-works (MOFs) have recently been shown as highly effective catalysts for detoxifying CWAs, but challenges still remain for integrating MOFs into functional filter media and/or protective garments. Herein, we report a series of MOF–nanofiber kebab structures for fast degradation of CWAs. We found TiO₂ coatings deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto polyamide-6 nanofibers enable the formation of conformal Zr-based MOF thin films including UiO-66, UiO-66-NH₂, and UiO-67. Cross-sectional TEM images show that these MOF crystals nucleate and grow directly on and around the nanofibers, with strong attachment to the substrates. These MOF-functionalized nanofibers exhibit excellent reactivity for detoxifying CWAs. The half-lives of a CWA simulant compound and nerve agent soman (GD) are as short as 7.3 min and 2.3 min, respectively. These results therefore provide the earliest report of MOF–nanofiber textile composites capable of ultra-fast degradation of CWAs.