Biomineral-inspired growth of metal–organic frameworks in gelatin hydrogel matrices†
Abstract
In this work we employ a biomineral-inspired growth approach to the prototypical metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) ZIF-8 and HKUST-1 using cheap abundant non-toxic gelatin hydrogels as both a matrix and macromolecular additive for crystal growth. Both MOFs are readily prepared within the hydrogel, and while ZIF-8@gelatin composites are readily dispersed in