Fiber-intercepting-particle structured MOF fabrics for simultaneous solar vapor generation and organic pollutant adsorption

Abstract

Solar vapor generation (SVG) has been considered as a promising approach to alleviate the water crisis. However, solar vapor generation from wastewater causes secondary pollution since the contaminants cannot be efficiently separated from the remained wastewater. Here we demonstrate a novel fiber-intercepting-particle structured MOF fabric by integrating spraying process with electrospinning technique for simultaneous solar vapor generation and organic pollutant adsorption. The fabrication strategy not only maintains the inherent pore structure of ZIF-67 particles, but also enables photothermal functionalization of the nanofiber scaffold, offering distinct advantages over the commonly used co-electrospinning and surface decoration methods. As a result, the prepared fiber-intercepting-particle structured MOF fabrics achieve a high solar absorption of 94.2%, fast evaporation rate of 1.50 kg m−2h−1 and ultrahigh malachite green (MG) adsorption capacity of 198.1 mg g−1 under one sun. Furthermore, the contaminant removal efficiency of MG is as high as 99.9% with the assistance of solar irradiation. The structure design of MOF fabrics and SVG-enhanced adsorption strategy for water purification in this work will inspire the development of superior water treatment technology.