Amino functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 coated cellulose aerogel for enhanced air purification

Human activities generate large quantities of air pollutants, and particulate matter (PM) in the air poses a serious threat to public health. Nanofiber filters with surface-loaded metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for the capture of PM. Herein, this work creatively fabricated an air filter by anchoring amino-functionalized ZIF-8 on the surface of cellulose aerogel (NZCA) by in situ growth approach. The excellent compatibility between ZIF and cellulose was demonstrated by XRD, FT-IR, SEM and XPS characterization techniques. The functionalized ligand introduces -NH2, and the polar -NH2 group enhances the electrostatic interaction between ZIF-8-NH2 and PM, resulting in NZCA with superior PM filtration performance (filtration efficiency and quality factor: PM2.5: 92%, 0.054; PM10: 96%, 0.068) compared to ZCA without sacrificing the pressure drop. Furthermore, ZIF-8-NH2 modified cellulose filters were easy to regenerate and exhibited excellent reusability. This work paves the way for the rational design of ligand-modified MOF/cellulose filters for the efficient removal of PM from air, which has important implications for solving environmental problems and energy crises.