Detoxification of Chemical Warfare Agents by a Zr-Based MOF with High Recycling Ability at Physiological pH

Abstract

The neutralization of organophosphorous (OP) chemical agents used in modern warfare is a growing concern due to their extreme toxicity to human cells. In several previous works, although the capability of several Zr-MOF-based catalysts has been showcased to facilitate hydrolysis of OP agents in heterogeneous pathways, their usage appeared to be limited by very slow kinetics at neutral pH. There is still a lack of MOF based catalysts that can detoxify OPs at physiological pH. The recycling ability of MOF-based catalysts has also not been greatly explored. Thus, herein, we explored a Zr-based MOF, MOF-801(Zr) for the detoxification of a series of OP nerve agents and a pesticide with simultaneous adsorption and degradation at pH 7.5 in a buffer solution, close to physiological conditions. This MOF-based catalyst demonstrates significant hydrolysis activity towards several nerve agents, with up to 99 % conversion within 2 h and an excellent half-life of less than 5 minutes. In addition, it can be recycled at least 5 times consecutively with a residual activity of at least 90 %.