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Research Article | Open Access

Improving the hydrostability of zeolitic imidazolate framework coatings using a facile silk fibroin protein modification method

Xiuming Wei1Ting Chen1Siyu Chen1Qian Jia2Nurul Ain Mazlan1Allana Lewis1Norbert Radacsi1Yi Huang1()
School of Engineering, Institute for Materials & Processes, The University of Edinburgh, Robert Stevenson Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FB, UK
EASTCHEM School of Chemistry, The University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
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A facile silk fibroin (SF) protein modification method was developed to improve the hydrostability of zeolitic imidazolate framework-L (ZIF-L) coatings in aqueous media. The modified ZIF-L coating was rigorously tested under various pHs for potential long-term application.

Abstract

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are an important subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with zeolite-type topology, which can be fabricated under ambient synthesis conditions. However, the applications of ZIFs are commonly limited due to the weak hydrostability of their metal–ligand coordination bonds, particularly under humid and aqueous conditions. In this work, as an example, the hydrolysis behaviours of ZIF-L with a special focus on ZIF-L coatings were tested at aqueous conditions with a wide range of pHs to systematically study and fundamentally understand their structural stability and degradation mechanism. Pristine ZIF-L powder and ZIF-L coatings were severely damaged after only 24 h in aqueous media. Interestingly, the ZIF-L coatings showed two distinct hydrolyzation pathways regardless of pH conditions, exhibiting either a ring-shaped etching or unfolding behaviours. While the ZIF-L powders were hydrolyzed almost identically across all pH conditions. With this new understanding, a facile silk fibroin (SF) protein modification method was developed to enhance the hydrostability of ZIF-L coatings in aqueous media. The effect of protein concentration on surface coating was systemically studied. ZIF-L coating retained its surface morphology after soaking in water and demonstrated switchable super wetting properties and superior separation performance for oil/water mixture. As a result, the quick SF protein modification significantly enhanced the stability of ZIF-L coatings under various pHs, while retaining their switchable wetting property and excellent separation performance.

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Nano Research
Pages 6247-6257
Cite this article:
Wei X, Chen T, Chen S, et al. Improving the hydrostability of zeolitic imidazolate framework coatings using a facile silk fibroin protein modification method. Nano Research, 2024, 17(7): 6247-6257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6586-5
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