Multifunctional carbonized Zn-MOF coatings for cotton fabric: Unveiling synergistic effects of superhydrophobic, oil-water separation, self-cleaning, and UV protection features

This paper investigates the development of a multifunctional carbonized zinc (Zn)-based metal organic framework (MOF) coating on cotton fabric, aiming to reveal the synergistic effects of superhydrophobicity, oil-water separation, self-cleaning, and UV protecting properties. Cotton fabric was first coated by carbonized zinc oxide (ZnO) derived from MOF under nitrogen atmosphere and subsequently treated with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS). Various characterization analyses were employed to characterize the coated fabrics. The coated fabric exhibited significant superhydrophobic effects, displaying 160 degrees static water contact angle with 7 degrees hysteresis. Moreover, the final product demonstrated excellent efficiencies of 95, 98, 97, and 93 % in separating crude oil, chloroform, n-hexane, and engine oil from water, and 90 % for stabilized emulsion due to the large surface area and superhydrophobic properties. Also, the treated fabric showed reusability for viscose oil such as coconut oil and sunflower oil with nearly 100 % separation and stable recyclability up to 5 cycles. Furthermore, the coated fabric displayed outstanding resistance to photo-corrosion over a 2-year period under sunlight, showing remarkable photostability. The incorporation of ZnO derived MOF and HDTMS coating further enhanced the UV protection of the fabric. Overall, this study presents a comprehensive analysis of the multifunctional properties of carbonized Zn-MOF-coated cotton fabric, highlighting its potential for various applications including selfcleaning, UV protection, and water-oil separation.