Spontaneously super-hygroscopic MOF-gel microreactors for efficient detoxification of nerve agent simulant in atmospheric environments

Abstract

We design a spontaneously super-hygroscopic alkaline microreactor by photoinduced integration of Zr-MOF catalyst and alkaline poly(dimethylaminoethyl acrylate) onto LiCl-salinized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel, generating a microenvironment with non-volatile polymeric base and non-bulk water for detoxification of a typical nerve agent simulant, dimethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP), in atmospheric environments. The super-hygroscopic gel with directional microchannels facilitates the absorption, transport and storage of water under different humidities, and exhibits fast hygroscopic efficiency with a high moisture absorption capacity of 6.4 g g−1. The integrated microreactor achieves simultaneous water uptake and catalytic hydrolysis of DMNP in an atmospheric environment with an initial half-life of ∼1.9 h and a final conversion of 95.5%, which is attributed to the synergistic catalytic microenvironment of the exposed Zr-MOF catalyst, the polymeric base, and the water from moist air. This work provides a feasible strategy for designing spontaneously hygroscopic microreactors for detoxifying nerve agent simulants in atmospheric environments.