A multifunctional ZnO-ZIF-8/bamboo composite with enhanced adsorption capacity and improved flame retardancy

Construction of metal oxide nanoparticles on ZIF-8 has produced many novel hybrid materials with interesting properties, of which ZnO-ZIF-8 is a typical representative. However, due to the powdered crystalline state of ZnO-ZIF-8 hybrid materials, their processability and handling remain a significant challenge. In this work, a multifunctional ZnO-ZIF-8/bamboo composite was successfully fabricated through in-situ growth of spherical ZnO-ZIF-8 hybrid nanoparticles within natural bamboo substrates. At a 6.8 wt% ZnO-ZIF-8 loading, the resulting composite displays highly removal efficiency up to 97.6% for methylene blue (MB) and the adsorption capacity can reach 226.7 mg·g−1 at 298 K. The MB removal efficiency dropped to 96.0% after five cycles, revealing the composite exhibited an excellent recyclability. Furthermore, the introduction of ZnO-ZIF-8 remarkably enhanced the thermal stability and flame retardancy of the natural bamboo. Compared with the untreated natural bamboo, the peak of heat release rate of the ZnO-ZIF-8/bamboo composite exhibited a drastic decline by 61.6% from 45.3 W·g−1 to 17.4 W·g−1 and the total heat release from 7.6 kJ·g−1 to 4.4 kJ·g−1. This work offers a new avenues for designing and constructing functionalized MOFs@bamboo composite that may boost their environmental- and green building-related applications.