Electrospun Nanonet Membrane with Spontaneous Hygroscopicity and Self-Buffering Capacity for Efficient Detoxification of a Nerve Agent Simulant under Atmospheric Conditions.

Efficient catalytic detoxification of nerve agents under atmospheric conditions is severely hindered by the lack of water and poor accessibility of catalytic sites. Herein, a polyamide 56 (PA56)-based nanonet membrane with spontaneous hygroscopicity and self-buffering capacity is designed for efficient catalytic detoxification of dimethyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP), a representative nerve agent simulant, which is fabricated by the in situ growth of metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66-NH2) on a spider-web-like electrospun PA56 nanofibrous membrane, followed by the integration of hygroscopic LiCl and alkaline polyethylenimine (PEI). The unique 2D nanonet structure within the interfiber pores significantly increases the nucleation sites of UiO-66-NH2 on the membrane, leading to a high MOF loading of 42.1 wt %, and thus a significantly shortened hydrolysis half-life of 2.8 min against DMNP in an aqueous solution. The synergistic hygroscopic effect of PEI and LiCl enables the membrane to achieve an atmospheric moisture uptake of up to 1.70 g g-1, which in turn facilitates the diffusion of DMNP. As a result, in an atmospheric environment, DMNP can be eventually converted into the nontoxic products of dimethyl phosphate (72%) and methyl phosphate (28%), with a hydrolysis half-life of 1.9 h. Additionally, the lightweight catalytic membrane exhibits effective barrier protection against DMNP aerosol/droplets. This work provides a methodology for fabricating self-detoxifying wearable devices against chemical warfare agents under atmospheric conditions.