Preparation of ZIF‐8/natural Plant Fiber Composites via Biomimetic Mineralization for Highly Efficient Removal of Formaldehyde

Abstract

Novel composites containing zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) nanocrystals and natural plant fibers (Juncus effusus (JE) fibers) are successfully synthesized. ZIF‐8 nanocrystals are coated onto hydrophilic JE fibers (H‐JE fibers) via biomimetic mineralization after only several seconds at room temperature (25 °C). The ZIF‐8/H‐JE fiber composite (stirring) and ZIF‐8‐BSA/H‐JE fiber composite (biomimetic mineralization) composite materials have excellent formaldehyde (HCHO) removal properties. ZIF‐8‐BSA/H‐JE fiber composites, in particular, are highly efficient HCHO adsorbents. Up to 99.79% HCHO removal at a high concentration (100 mg/m3) can be achieved within 90 min, and 100% removal can be achieved at a low concentration (10 mg/m3) within 17 min. This study provides an effective strategy for developing natural‐plant‐fiber‐based composite materials for environmental protection.

Efficient Removal of Dye from Wastewater without Selectivity Using Activated Carbon-Juncus effusus Porous Fibril Composites

“…The mechanism of dye removal by AC-JE fibers is shown in Figure c. The combined microporous and mesoporous structures of the activated carbon particles and macroporous structures of JE fibers enhance their adsorption properties. ,,, The AC-JE fibers have large cavities and abundant dye adsorption sites and therefore possess excellent dye adsorption capacity. The macroporous structure of the H-JE fibers has a certain fluidity, which is convenient for the circulation of dye solution in it and can increase the flow flux of the dye solution filtration.…”

“…They are natural, soft, and porous materials with a slender cylindrical shape (2–3 mm in diameter and up to 120 cm in length) and are composed of various polymers, including methyl pentosan, araban, xylan, and luteolin. − JE is rich in flora fibers and functional groups (such as carboxyl and hydroxy groups) because of the naturally porous structure formed by the three-dimensional network, which makes adsorption possible. Further, we demonstrated in our previous work that JE fibers can form composites with other functional materials to remove hazardous materials. − Owing to these characteristics of JE fibers, we used them for purifying wastewater by dye adsorption.…”

Biomineralization of Human Genomic DNA into ZIF-8, a Zeolite-Like Metal-Organic Framework

“…One more factor to ease targeted delivery of useful load is MOF capability to protect genetic material against degradation in physiological conditions, and provide its controlled release [22]. So, zeolite-like imidazolate zincbased MOF ZIF-8 widely used for of biocomponents showed its biomineralization efficiency for proteins [23,24], carbohydrates [25][26][27][28], viruses [29], and cells [30,31], as well as plasmid DNA, microRNA [32,33], nucleoproteins, and the components of genome editing systems [34][35][36][37]. However, there are no studies describing (genomic) DNA included in ZIF-8 and its analogues so far.…”