UiO-66-NH₂ incorporated nanofibrous membranes by direct electrospinning/in-situ growth for toluene adsorption

The environmental problems caused by toluene emissions are becoming increasingly severe. Developing a toluene adsorption membrane material with excellent performance remains a significant challenge. This work employed two different methods（the surface-growth method and the direct blending method）to fabricate porous nanometer-sized MOF fiber composite membranes, and subsequently used for toluene gas adsorption. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic analyses revealed that, with similar MOF loading, the fiber membranes prepared via the in-situ growth method exhibit a higher adsorption capacity (178.9 mg/g) and a faster adsorption rate (4.3 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹), whereas the fiber membranes obtained through direct blending show an adsorption capacity of only 103.3 mg/g and an adsorption rate of 2.9 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹. Notably, the maximum adsorption capacity of the membranes fabricated using the in-situ growth method decreased by only 2–3 % after five adsorption cycles, which provides a prosperous application prospect for recycling and reuse of the material. The material also exhibits excellent adsorption selectivity for toluene in the presence of both benzene and toluene vapors. This work provides a novel approach for integrating metal-organic frameworks with polymer matrices through electrospinning, offering significant prospects for the treatment of toluene-related organic waste gas emissions.