Roll-To-Roll Coated Metal-Organic Framework (MOF)-Fabric-Based Filters for Particulate Matter Filtration and Chemical...

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely explored as adsorbents and filtration materials for gases, small molecules, and biomolecules. More recently, integrating MOFs into textiles has enabled the development of MOF-fabrics for particulate matter (PM) filtration and chemical warfare agent (CWA) degradation. However, the scalability of creating MOF-fabrics for large-area, high-throughput production is a significant issue preventing the widespread adoption of MOF-fabrics for practical implementation. Here, we utilize a novel aqueous method to rapidly synthesize zirconium-MOFs UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH₂ on the surfaces of polyester and cotton fabrics, using multiple cycles of a sequential dip-coating (SQD) technique combined with a roll-to-roll-compatible process. UiO-66-polyester MOF-fabric masks demonstrated enhanced PM filtration and met ASTM F3502 Level 1 performance criteria, achieving filtration efficiencies above 20% with a pressure drop below 15 mm H₂O for 0.3 μm particles. The best-performing MOF-fabric mask reached a filtration efficiency of 39.7%. The UiO-66-polyester masks also exhibited low cytotoxicity and maintained performance even after 25 washes, supporting their use as reusable facial coverings. In parallel, UiO-66-NH₂-fabric demonstrated enhanced CWA degradation performance, with UiO-66-NH₂-cotton degrading 82% and 89% of the nerve agents GD and VX, respectively, within 24 h. Overall, this work establishes a scalable pathway for the synthesis of high-performance MOF-fabrics while enabling broader application of these materials in practical protective technologies.