Dual-function protective fabrics with hygroscopicity-catalysis spatial compartmentalization for efficient...

The development of dual-function detoxification against organophosphorus nerve agents and blister agents is strategically vital. However, the catalytic detoxification of chemical warfare agents in atmospheric environments is limited by the lack of bulk water. Herein, a hierarchical catalytic reactor is fabricated by two-step blade-coating on a cotton fabric substrate, featuring a polyethyleneimine (PEI)/LiCl hygroscopic layer and a highly active metal-organic framework (MOF) UiO-66-NH₂ surface layer. The intermediate LiCl layer can actively capture water from the air (1.36 g g^-1), while the defect-engineered MOFs exhibit high intrinsic activity, with a half-life of 1.8 min for liquid-phase degradation of dimethyl 4‑nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) in a N-ethylmorpholine buffer solution. Under atmospheric conditions, the composite fabric shows competitive detoxification performances, with a half‑life of 1.3 h against DMNP and 17 min for the blister agent simulant of 2‑chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). The MOF-outer/PEI-inner spatial design prevents competitive nucleophilic side reactions of PEI toward DMNP, ensuring high selectivity for the hydrolysis. The detoxification of CEES proceeds via a parallel network of hydrolysis, bond‑cleavage coupling and linker participation. This work provides a hygroscopicity-catalysis structural partitioning design for efficient broad-spectrum detoxification of typical lethal chemical warfare agents.