A durable copper-based coating developed by 线上赌场 researchers can be precisely integrated into fabric to create responsive and reusable materials such as protective equipment, environmental sensors, and smart filters, according to a recent study.
The coating responds to the presence of toxic gases in the air by converting them into less toxic substances that become trapped in the fabric, the team .
The findings hinge on a conductive metal-organic technology, or framework, developed in the laboratory of corresponding author , an associate professor of chemistry. First , the framework was a simple coating that could be layered onto cotton and polyester to create smart fabrics the researchers named SOFT鈥擲elf-Organized Framework on Textiles. Their paper demonstrated that SOFT smart fabrics could detect and capture toxic substances i颅n the surrounding environment.
For the newest study, the researchers found that鈥攊nstead of the simple coating reported in 2017鈥攖hey can precisely embed the framework into fabrics using a copper precursor that allows them to create specific patterns and more effectively fill in the tiny gaps and holes between threads. The researchers found that the framework technology effectively converted the toxin nitric oxide into nitrite and nitrate, and transformed the poisonous, flammable gas hydrogen sulfide into copper sulfide. They also report that the framework鈥檚 ability to capture and convert toxic materials withstood wear and tear, as well as standard washing.
The versatility and durability the new method provides would allow the framework to be applied for specific uses and in more precise locations, such as a sensor on protective clothing, or as a filter in a particular environment, Mirica said.
鈥淭his new method of deposition means that the electronic textiles could potentially interface with a broader range of systems because they鈥檙e so robust,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his technological advance paves the way for other applications of the framework鈥檚 combined filtration and sensing abilities that could be valuable in biomedical settings and environmental remediation.鈥
The technique also could eventually be a low-cost alternative to technologies that are cost prohibitive and limited in where they can be deployed by needing an energy source, or鈥攕uch as catalytic converters in automobiles鈥攔are metals, Mirica said.
鈥淗ere we鈥檙e relying on an Earth-abundant matter to detoxify toxic chemicals, and we鈥檙e doing it without any input of outside energy, so we don鈥檛 need high temperature or electric current to achieve that function,鈥 Mirica said.
Co-first author Michael Ko, Guarini 鈥20, initially observed the new process in 2018 as he attempted to deposit the metal-organic framework onto thin-film copper-based electrodes, Mirica said. But the copper electrodes would be replaced by the framework.
鈥淗e wanted it on top of the electrodes, not to replace them,鈥 Mirica said. 鈥淚t took us four years to figure out what was happening and how it was beneficial. It鈥檚 a very straightforward process, but the chemistry behind it is not and it took us some time and additional involvement of students and collaborators to understand that.鈥
The team discovered that the metal-organic framework 鈥済rows鈥 over copper, replacing it with a material with the ability to filter and convert toxic gases, Mirica said. Ko and co-author Lukasz Mendecki, a postdoctoral scholar in the Mirica Group from 2017-18, investigated methods for applying the framework material to fabric in specific designs and patterns.
Co-first author Aileen Eagleton, Guarini 鈥23, who is also in the Mirica Group, finalized the technique by optimizing the process for imprinting the metal-organic framework onto fabric, as well as identifying how its structure and properties are influenced by chemical exposure and reaction conditions.
Future work will focus on developing new multifunctional framework materials and scaling up the process of embedding the metal-organic coatings into fabric, Mirica said.
