Bioinspired Ultrasmall-Bandgap MOF-Integrated Superhydrophobic Textiles via In Situ Self-Assembly: Enabling Next-Generation Multifunctional Smart Textiles

The integration of bio-inspired nanostructured metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with textiles opens new frontiers for smart wearable systems. This study develops a mechanically robust superhydrophobic AgTCNQ-MOF hybrid fabric via in situ self-assembly, mimicking cactus spines to achieve water contact and sliding angles of 159.2° and 1.8°, respectively. The optimized textile demonstrates multifaceted functionality: 1) Ultrahigh oil-water separation performance (efficiency: 98.4%; flux: 18.0 kL·m −2 ·h −1 ); 2) Anti-icing capacity extending freezing onset from 105 s to 685 s under −20 °C; 3) Full-spectrum UV resistance (UVA: 2.5%, UVB: 2.7%) with 99.8% antimicrobial efficacy; 4) Autonomous self-cleaning via contaminant-removing rolling droplets; and 5) Outstanding mechanical flexibility (6000 cycles) coupled with ultrahigh solar-thermal efficiency (91.5%) enabled by AgTCNQ-derived ultrasmall-bandgap (0.47 eV) engineering, a notable advancement over conventional systems. A covalent interfacial anchoring strategy ensures exceptional durability, maintaining superhydrophobicity after 30 abrasion cycles or 200 h UV exposure. The ultrasmall-bandgap of AgTCNQ uniquely optimizes photon-to-thermal conversion while maintaining multifunctionality, which is a key innovation differentiating this platform. This synergy between bandgap-engineered nanoporosity and textile flexibility enables real-time environmental responsiveness. Such integration bridges nanotechnology and textile engineering to address wearable-environmental challenges, advancing applications in medical wearables, industrial filtration, and adaptive robotics.