Smart Textile: Functionalization and Electrohydrodynamic-Jet Printing of UiO-66-NH₂ Metal-Organic Frameworks for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable properties for gas sensing.
• Textile-based sensors require robust integration methods for practical applications.
• Nitric oxide (NO) detection is crucial for environmental and safety monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for integrating UiO-66-NH2 MOFs into textiles for NO gas sensing.
• To enhance the electrical conductivity and sensitivity of MOF-based sensors.
• To investigate the performance and environmental stability of the developed textile sensors.

Main Methods:

• Electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing of UiO-66-NH2 MOFs combined with an ionic liquid (IL) onto polylactic acid films.
• Fabrication of flexible and durable chemiresistive sensors.
• Characterization using SEM, PXRD, EDX, and ATR-FTIR; evaluation of NO gas response under varying environmental conditions.

Main Results:

• IL functionalization increased MOF conductivity by ~14×.
• Achieved a significant and reversible conductance change of 1634.67% in response to NO gas.
• Demonstrated moisture-assisted proton transport and thermally activated conduction (activation energy of 114 meV).

Conclusions:

• E-jet printing enables scalable fabrication of MOF-based textile sensors.
• The developed sensors show high sensitivity and selectivity for NO gas detection.
• Potential for MOF-based textile sensors in environmental monitoring and safety applications.