Fiber Composites of Metal-Organic Frameworks

The high chemical and structural diversity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are porous crystalline materials, has attracted significant academic and industrial interest. However, the poor processability of MOF powders limits their full potential in practical applications. Toward this end, MOF-based composite materials increase the framework robustness and subsequent utility. Among these hybrid materials, MOF composites prepared on commercially available textile fibers offer the high flexibility needed for important applications - such as heterogeneous catalysis, chemical sensing, pollutant removal, and drug release - while maintaining the functional properties of MOFs. The ability to further tailor these composites' shapes for incorporation into industrial equipment increases their potential in applications such as adsorption devices and protective gears. In this Review, we summarize recently reported MOF/fiber fabrication methods and applications. Our discussion on the advancements and remaining issues of these production methods segues into several highlighted applications of MOF/fiber composites, especially within adsorption devices and protective gears.