Zirconium-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks as Reusable Antibacterial Peroxide Carriers for Protective Textiles

Countries around the world have sought efficient protective
coverings,
including masks, gowns, and fabrics, for air purification to protect
people against infectious diseases. However, the demand for significant
quantities of disposable protective textiles poses a global challenge,
especially when the production of protective gear is suspended due
to COVID-19 outbreaks in factories and along supply lines. Therefore,
the development of reusable, self-decontaminating protective masks
and coverings loaded with disinfectants, such as antibacterial peroxide
species, presents an attractive strategy to fight against bacteria
risks. In this work, we incorporated persulfate ions, which serve
as stable active peroxide precursors, into two porous zirconium-based
metal–organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs), enabling these materials
to act as regenerable reservoirs for the slow release of biocidal
hydrogen peroxide upon hydrolysis by contact with humid air. Single-crystal
X-ray diffraction studies reveal the two different coordination motifs
for the persulfate ions, which can either bridge between two adjacent
nodes or coordinate to a single node depending on both the node connectivity
and the distances between open metal sites. The active peroxide precursors
within the porous Zr-MOF carriers are stable during storage and easily
regenerated once consumed. Importantly, these persulfate-loaded Zr-MOFs
can be integrated onto textiles using a facile aqueous in-situ growth procedure, and these composites demonstrate potent and reusable
biocidal activity against both Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive
bacteria. Overall, this approach presents a viable strategy to develop
robust protective textiles capable of rapidly deactivating pathogens.