Synergistic effect of MOFs and PMHS on robust cotton fabric for promoted hydrophobic and UV-resistance

The use of auxiliaries for textile dyeing and printing and the release of residual dyeing liquor cause enormous harm to the environment, while the single function of dyed fabrics hinders their development in more advanced fields. In this work, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanocrystals were grown in situ on carboxymethyl cotton fabric to absorb acid dyes without auxiliaries. To further improve its durability and color fastness, polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) hydrophobic coating was used to protect its surface. The as-prepared cotton fabrics exhibited a K/S value of 21.78, a hydrophobic angle of 160.2° and a UPF value close to 50+. They showed high stability under various environmental conditions, which provided a simple and enviromental way to prepare multifunctional dyed textiles. The high hydrophobic angle of the fabric offered excellent adsorption of oil agent in the oil–water mixture, and the oil–water separation efficiency can still reach more than 95% even after 20 cycles, indicating that the fabric also had promising applications in the treatment of oiled wastewater.