Assessing Detoxification Performance of Metal Hydroxide@Polymer Composites Prepared via Matrix-Incorporation and Spray-Coating Techniques

Polymer-based composites with tunable physiochemical properties are great candidates for efficient destruction of toxic chemicals and vapors. Herein, we report the development of metal hydoxide@polymer composites via matrix-incorporation and spray-coating methods and the assessment of the impact of different preparation methods on their physiochemical properties and detoxification performance. Specifically, Zr(OH)4 and Ce(OH)4 were used to enhance the catalytic activity of Ultem, Matrimid, and PIM-1 polymers toward hydrolysis of dimethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphonate (DMNP) simulant. Two different preparation techniques were employed to assess the structure-performance relations in the developed composites in terms of DMNP detoxification performance. The results obtained indicated that surface-coated metal hydoxide@polymer composites outperformed their respective incorporated analogues for both Zr(OH)4 and Ce(OH)4 due to the presence of more accessible surface active sites. Moreover, it was found that Ce(OH)4 gave rise to a faster detoxification rate than Zr(OH)4 in both matrix-incorporated and surface-coated composites owing to higher Lewis acidity of Ce(OH)4 than Zr(OH)4. Among the materials investigated, the best-performing material was found to be surface-coated Ce(OH)4@PIM-1, which exhibited the fastest DMNP detoxification rate of 0.08 min–1 and the shortest half-life of 8.67 min. The findings of this investigation highlight the potential of the spray-coating method for fabricating composites effective for detoxification of toxic chemicals and vapors.