UiO-66-NH₂ and Zeolite-Templated Carbon Composites for the Degradation and Adsorption of Nerve Agents

• Main Authors: Jaeheon Lee, Dongwon Ka, Heesoo Jung, Kyeongmin Cho, Youngho Jin, Minkun Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: UiO-66-NH₂/ZTC composite; metal-organic framework; zeolite-templated carbon; nerve agent; soman (GD); sarin (GB)
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/13/3837

Composites of metal-organic frameworks and carbon materials have been suggested to be effective materials for the decomposition of chemical warfare agents. In this study, we synthesized UiO-66-NH₂/zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC) composites for the adsorption and decomposition of the nerve agents sarin and soman. UiO-66-NH₂/ZTC composites with good dispersion were prepared via a solvothermal method. Characterization studies showed that the composites had higher specific surface areas than pristine UiO-66-NH₂, with broad pore size distributions centered at 1–2 nm. Owing to their porous nature, the UiO-66-NH₂/ZTC composites could adsorb more water at 80% relative humidity. Among the UiO-66-NH₂/ZTC composites, U_0.8Z_0.2 showed the best degradation performance. Characterization and gas adsorption studies revealed that beta-ZTC in U_0.8Z_0.2 provided additional adsorption and degradation sites for nerve agents. Among the investigated materials, including the pristine materials, U_0.8Z_0.2 also exhibited the best protection performance against the nerve agents. These results demonstrate that U_0.8Z_0.2 has the optimal composition for exploiting the degradation performance of pristine UiO-66-NH₂ and the adsorption performance of pristine beta-ZTC.