Fabrication of Multifunctional Electronic Textiles Using Oxidative Restructuring of Copper into a Cu-Based...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Traditional textiles lack electronic functionality.
• Developing conductive and functional materials on flexible substrates remains a challenge.
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable properties but integrating them into textiles is complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel conductive two-dimensional layered metal-organic framework (MOF), Cu3(HHTP)2.
• To develop a method for patterning this MOF onto various textile substrates.
• To evaluate the performance of the resulting conductive textiles for gas detection and filtration.

Main Methods:

• Conversion of zero-valent copper metal into Cu3(HHTP)2 MOF.
• Patterning of MOF onto woven and non-woven fabrics using microscale spatial resolution.
• Characterization of conductive textiles using sheet resistance measurements, spectroscopy (XPS, DRIFTS), and gas sensing/filtration tests.

Main Results:

• Achieved microscale patterning of Cu3(HHTP)2 MOF on diverse textile substrates.
• Produced conductive textiles with sheet resistances ranging from 0.1 to 10.1 MΩ/cm².
• Demonstrated simultaneous detection and detoxification of nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with ppm-level sensitivity.
• Showcased H2S filtration capacity up to 4.6 mol/kgMOF.
• Confirmed transformation of detected gases into less toxic forms.

Conclusions:

• The novel synthetic approach enables the creation of robust, conductive, and multifunctional electronic textiles.
• The developed MOF-coated textiles exhibit excellent durability against washing and abrasion.
• This work opens avenues for advanced wearable sensors and air purification systems integrated into fabrics.