In situ encapsulation of capsaicinoids in MIL-88A as a food-grade nanopreservative for meat safety

The biocompatible MIL-88A metal-organic framework (MOF), synthesized from food-grade fumaric acid and ferric chloride, was introduced for the efficient one-step in situ encapsulation of capsaicinoids as a nanopreservative. The resulting MIL-88A@Caps nanoparticles can load 61.43 mg/g of capsaicinoids, surpassing conventional MOF-based encapsulation. The potent MIL-88A@Caps nanoformulations synergize the intrinsic antimicrobial properties of MIL-88A and capsaicinoids. At the same concentration (0.5 mg/mL), MIL-88A@Caps was highly effective against S. aureus and Salmonella, with inhibition rates of 94.90 ± 0.58% and 94.30 ± 1.24%, respectively, compared to MIL-88A (62.28 ± 5.04% and 70.46 ± 1.96%) and capsaicinoids (63.68 ± 1.25% and 49.53 ± 1.22%), respectively. Model precooked-chicken preservation experiments revealed that MIL-88A@Caps significantly delayed spoilage parameters compared to untreated samples, with more favorable viable counts (8.08 lgCFU/g), pH value (6.60 ± 0.02), TVB-N value (8.59 ± 0.21 mg/100 g), and color changes on day 9. Our findings yield a green nanopreservative for meat safety.

A Universal Approach for High-Yield Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Ordered Macro-Microporous Metal-Organic Frameworks

Despite the excellent properties of single-crystalline ordered macro-microporous MOFs (SOM-MOFs) compared to conventional MOFs, their further development has been hindered by the lack of versatile and high-yielding preparation protocols. This study introduces an innovative universal fabrication method that can easily solve the two major challenges of precursor stabilization and crystallization modulation, enabling the efficient synthesis of various SOM-MOFs with high yields. Notably, our approach has successfully yielded SOM-MIL-88A, a novel MOF showcasing exceptional stability in both water and acidic solutions, a remarkable achievement unprecedented in prior SOM-MOF research. SOM-MIL-88A has demonstrated exponentially improved performance over conventional MIL-88A in adsorption, catalysis, immobilized enzymes, and composite biosensing. Furthermore, our versatile protocol has been successfully applied to synthesize SOM-HKUST-1 and SOM-ZIF-8, resulting in significantly improved yields (increase by about 10-fold and 2-fold, respectively, compared to the previously reported protocol). This groundbreaking achievement marks a pivotal advancement in the preparation of diverse SOM-MOFs with tailored properties, presenting exciting prospects for future research on MOFs.

Modified air-Fenton with MIL-88A for chemical oxygen demand treatment in used coolant oil

Coolant oil from auto part manufacturing contains additives resulting in high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewater. In this study, COD treatment of coolant oil was investigated in a metal-organic framework (MOF) with MIL-88A by a modified air-Fenton (MAF) process by varying synthetic coolant oil concentrations (1-5%), pH (3-9), air-flow rate (1-2 L/min), amount of MIL-88A (0.2-1.0 g), and reaction time (30-180 min). The results were analyzed using central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) using Minitab ver. 19. The characteristic MIL-88A was characterized by XRD that showed a spindle-like shape with 2θ at 10.2° and 13.0°. The FTIR spectrum revealed the vibrational frequencies at Fe-O (564 cm-1), C-O (1391 and 1600 cm-1), and C = O (1216 and 1710 cm-1). The optimum treatment efficiency was studied from 30 CCD conditions in the presence of coolant oil (5%, COD ~ 132,000 mg/L), pH (9), air flow rate (2 L/min), and MIL-88A (1 g) within 177 min. The results obtained from the experiment and the COD prediction were found to be 92.64% and 93.45%, respectively. The main mechanism of iron(III) in MIL-88A is proposed to be the production of hydroxyl radical (·OH) that oxidizes the organic matter in the coolant oil. Moreover, the MAF process was applied to the used industrial coolant oil and was found to be 62.59% efficient.

Improved performance of metal-organic frameworks loaded cellulose acetate based film for packaging application

Bio-nanocomposite-based packaging materials have gained significance due to their possible applications in food packaging. Cellulose acetate is a biopolymer obtained by acetylation of cellulose and has characteristics such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and high transparency. Introducing iron-based metal-organic frameworks offer good mechanical strength, unique surface area and both chemical and thermally stability, making them favourable as supporting materials in fabricating polymer-based packaging materials. Among them, Fe- (Material Institute Lavoisier) MIL-88A is an iron-based nontoxic metal-organic framework, integrated with cellulose acetate and spinach extract was added to the prepared material in different compositions and cast as film. The Spinach loaded, Fe- (Material Institute Lavoisier) MIL-88A integrated cellulose acetate film significantly enhanced the tensile strength, water vapour permeability, and anti-microbial activity. The prepared film is then characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Further, studies on mechanical properties as well as degradation tests and real-time applications of the prepared films were carried out.

A highly efficient metal oxide incorporated metal organic framework [Nd2O3-MIL(Fe)-88A] for the electrochemical detection of dichlorvos

In this study, a Nd₂O₃@MIL(Fe)-88A composite was prepared through a hydrothermal method and used to detect dichlorvos. The XRD result demonstrated that the prepared sensor is highly crystalline in nature. The affinity of metal oxide and MIL(Fe)-88A could be utilised to overcome low stability and sensitivity owing to their synergistic and electronic effects. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) exhibits the electrocatalytic behaviour of Nd₂O₃@MIL(Fe)-88A; it functions at a lower potential at -0.5 to 0.8 V and has a wide linear range of 1-250 nM. It shows a very low detection limit of 0.92 nM with good sensitivity (4.42 mA nM^-1) and selectivity. The developed Nd₂O₃@MIL(Fe)-88A sensor was successfully applied to detect dichlorvos in real analysis. The recovery range calculated for cabbage and orange extracts was 96-97% and 99.5-103.4%, respectively, and RSD% calculated for cabbage and orange extracts was from 1.40 to 3.39% and from 0.64 to 2.26%, respectively.

Engineering silica encapsulated composite of acyltransferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis and MIL-88A: A stability-and activity-improved biocatalyst for N-acylation reactions in water

Here the metal-organic framework material MIL-88A is used to purify and immobilize an acyltransferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis (MsAcT) simultaneously from the broken bacterial liquid. Regarding the possibility that the MsAcT@MIL-88A may display weak stability in its application, a silica layer is further introduced around it as a "shield" to protect the enzyme from degradation. The obtained MsAcT@MIL-88A@silica can exhibit high activity recovery, excellent thermal, pH, and storage stabilities compared with those of MsAcT@MIL-88A. The MsAcT@MIL-88A@silica can also be effectively recycled, and its initial activity of 84.0 % ± 1.2 % can be retained after the 5th cycle for N-acylation reaction in water. More importantly, the MsAcT@MIL-88A@silica can display much higher catalytic activity towards the reactions between ethyl or vinyl esters and aniline than those of free MsAcT and MsAcT@MIL-88A in aqueous media. This study provides a simple and inexpensive strategy to prepare MsAcT@MIL-88A@silica with high activity, stability, and excellent recyclability, and highlights its application potential as a biocatalyst.

Autocatalysis and Oriented Attachment Direct the Synthesis of a Metal-Organic Framework

Synthesis of porous, covalent crystals such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) cannot be described adequately using existing crystallization theories. Even with the development of state-of-the-art experimental and computational tools, the identification of primary mechanisms of nucleation and growth of MOFs remains elusive. Here, using time-resolved in-situ X-ray scattering coupled with a six-parameter microkinetic model consisting of ∼1 billion reactions and up to ∼100 000 metal nodes, we identify autocatalysis and oriented attachment as previously unrecognized mechanisms of nucleation and growth of the MOF UiO-66. The secondary building unit (SBU) formation follows an autocatalytic initiation reaction driven by a self-templating mechanism. The induction time of MOF nucleation is determined by the relative rate of SBU attachment (chain extension) and the initiation reaction, whereas the MOF growth is primarily driven by the oriented attachment of reactive MOF crystals. The average size and polydispersity of MOFs are controlled by surface stabilization. Finally, the microkinetic model developed here is generalizable to different MOFs and other multicomponent systems.

Exploring and expanding the Fe-terephthalate metal-organic framework phase space by coordination and oxidation modulation

The synthesis of phase pure metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) - network solids of metal clusters connected by organic linkers - is often complicated by the possibility of forming multiple diverse phases from one metal-ligand combination. For example, there are at least six Fe-terephthalate MOFs reported to date, with many examples in the literature of erroneous assignment of phase based on diffraction data alone. Herein, we show that modulated self-assembly can be used to influence the kinetics of self-assembly of Fe-terephthalate MOFs. We comprehensively assess the effect of addition of both coordinating modulators and pH modulators on the outcome of syntheses, as well as probing the influence of the oxidation state of the Fe precursor (oxidation modulation) and the role of the counteranion on the phase(s) formed. In doing so, we shed light on the thermodynamic landscape of this phase system, uncover mechanistics of modulation, provide robust routes to phase pure materials, often as single crystals, and introduce two new Fe-terephthalate MOFs to an already complex system. The results highlight the potential of modulated self-assembly to bring precision control and new structural diversity to systems that have already received significant study.