MOF@chitosan Composites with Potential Antifouling Properties for Open-Environment Applications of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for a myriad of applications because of their easy synthesis and large variability through the organic linker. For open-environment applications, the organic content can, however, give rise to fouling, that is, biofilm formation. Biofilms can destroy the MOF and reduce the sorption capacity. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate MOFs for open-environment application to avoid the growth of microorganisms. Chitosan is a polysaccharide biopolymer, obtained from chitin shells of shrimps by alkaline deacetylation, and has known fungistatic properties. Here, chitosan is used as a matrix for MOF@chitosan composites with different aluminum-based MOFs to implement the fungistatic effect of chitosan to MOFs. The obtained composites with the highest possible MOF loadings of up to 90% were tested according to DIN EN ISO 846 to examine the fungistatic material properties against the fungi Chaetomium globosum and Aspergillus falconensis.