Friendly and scalable method incorporating copper into ZIF-8 as a highly effective and durable for antibacterial

Abstract

A straightforward solid-solid thermal (SST) method was developed to incorporate copper into a zeolitic-imidazole framework-based zinc compound, resulting in Cu@Zn-ZIF-8. This strategy enables the synergistic integration of copper within the zinc-imidazolate host framework. The process achieves a maximum copper content reached 30%, a level unattainable by traditional solvothermal techniques, and exhibits uniform, robust copper incorporation. This one-step, solvent-free approach significantly increases product yield while maintaining a low metal-to-ligand ratio. The resulting Cu@Zn-ZIF-8 displays a highly crystalline structure with increased copper density. This method is readily scalable up to 1000 times the laboratory scale without compromising material quality. Furthermore, surface-generated reactive oxygen species (ROSs) on Cu@Zn-ZIF-8 significantly improve antibacterial efficacy (>99.9%) against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, outperforming unmodified ZIF-8 by 16–20 times. The hydrophobic properties of Cu@Zn-ZIF-8 also make it particularly well-suited for high-moisture environments.