In-situ growth of ZIFs on cotton fabrics for enhanced gas absorption by hierarchical porous structures

Odors from sweat and skin secretions not only cause discomfort but may also signal microbial contamination in textiles, posing health risks. To address this, we report a multifunctional composite textile prepared via in-situ growth of two zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-67 and ZIF-8) on cotton fabrics. Cotton was chosen for its comfort, hydrophilicity, and modifiable cellulose structure, with woven and knitted variants offering complementary mechanical and elastic properties. The integration of ZIFs imparts high surface area, tunable microporosity, and intrinsic antibacterial performance. Structural characterization confirms uniform deposition of ZIFs forming a functional shell on the cotton fibers. Notably, X-ray micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and BET analysis jointly reveal a hierarchical porous architecture from the textile macrostructure to ZIF microdomains, enabling efficient adsorption of both alkaline (NH 3 ) and acidic (CH 3 COOH) odor molecules. The ZIFs exhibit a surface area of 1451.0 m 2 /g, retaining 89.2 m 2 /g post-integration. The resulting fabrics demonstrate >90 % odor removal, excellent water absorbency and breathability, and 99.9 % antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. This study offers a promising strategy for designing next-generation functional deodorizing textiles for daily hygiene applications.