Guest-Directed Crystallization of ZIF-8 Regulates Eugenol Binding and pH-Responsive Release.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea.
- 2Department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan31080, Republic of Korea.
- 3Department of Future Convergence Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan31080, Republic of Korea.
- 4Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
This study demonstrates guest-directed crystallization of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on carboxylated cotton, using eugenol as both a fragrance guest and a crystallization modulator to achieve pH-responsive release under mildly acidic, perspiration-like conditions. Particular emphasis is placed on how the timing of eugenol introduction modulates competitive guest-linker interactions during ZIF-8 crystallization, thereby governing guest retention and pH-responsive release. During a 72 h three-step cumulative synthesis, eugenol was introduced either at the onset of ZIF-8 growth or after 48 h to regulate crystal formation, guest-binding state, and subsequent release behavior. Spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory calculations revealed coordination between the phenolic oxygen of eugenol and Zn sites, providing molecular-level evidence for guest-ZIF-8 interactions. Early-stage addition suppressed ZIF-8 nucleation, producing larger crystals and increasing the fraction of framework-coordinated eugenol. Consequently, eugenol release became more strongly pH-responsive because coordinated eugenol was preferentially released upon acid-induced framework degradation. In contrast, introducing eugenol after 48 h led to mostly physical retention within the framework, resulting in diffusion-controlled release with substantially weaker pH dependence. The eugenol-containing ZIF-8 fabrics also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli through the combined effects of ZIF-8 and eugenol. These findings establish guest-addition timing as an effective synthetic parameter for regulating metal-organic framework crystallization, guest-binding state, and stimulus-responsive release behavior.
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BibTeX
@article{baek2026guestdirected,
title = {{Guest-Directed Crystallization of ZIF-8 Regulates Eugenol Binding and pH-Responsive Release.}},
author = {Juyeon Baek and Ye-Eun Woo and Jung-Hoon Yun and Gyeong Chan Kim and Jooyoun Kim},
journal = {Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c05056},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42917693},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Guest-Directed Crystallization of ZIF-8 Regulates Eugenol Binding and pH-Responsive Release.
AU - Juyeon Baek
AU - Ye-Eun Woo
AU - Jung-Hoon Yun
AU - Gyeong Chan Kim
AU - Jooyoun Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
DO - 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c05056
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42917693
AB - This study demonstrates guest-directed crystallization of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on carboxylated cotton, using eugenol as both a fragrance guest and a crystallization modulator to achieve pH-responsive release under mildly acidic, perspiration-like conditions. Particular emphasis is placed on how the timing of eugenol introduction modulates competitive guest-linker interactions during ZIF-8 crystallization, thereby governing guest retention and pH-responsive release. During a 72 h three-step cumulative synthesis, eugenol was introduced either at the onset of ZIF-8 growth or after 48 h to regulate crystal formation, guest-binding state, and subsequent release behavior. Spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory calculations revealed coordination between the phenolic oxygen of eugenol and Zn sites, providing molecular-level evidence for guest-ZIF-8 interactions. Early-stage addition suppressed ZIF-8 nucleation, producing larger crystals and increasing the fraction of framework-coordinated eugenol. Consequently, eugenol release became more strongly pH-responsive because coordinated eugenol was preferentially released upon acid-induced framework degradation. In contrast, introducing eugenol after 48 h led to mostly physical retention within the framework, resulting in diffusion-controlled release with substantially weaker pH dependence. The eugenol-containing ZIF-8 fabrics also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli through the combined effects of ZIF-8 and eugenol. These findings establish guest-addition timing as an effective synthetic parameter for regulating metal-organic framework crystallization, guest-binding state, and stimulus-responsive release behavior.
SN - 0743-7463
SN - 1520-5827
ER -