Hydrophobic and Catalytic Properties MOF Decorated Cotton Fabrics: Comparison of Biopolymeric Coating and Chemical Modification

Abstract Environmental contamination from pharmaceutical residues and oily wastewater poses serious challenges for modern water treatment technologies. In this study, we developed multifunctional, highly hydrophobic cotton textiles through in situ growth of ZIF‐8 and cobalt‐doped ZIF‐8 (Co/ZIF‐8) on cotton fabrics at room temperature using a simple immersion method. To further enhance hydrophobicity, the coated fabrics were treated with octadecylamine (OA) and beeswax (BW), resulting in water contact angles ranging from 116° to 132°. The modified fabrics were evaluated for their catalytic performance in degrading oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC‐HCl) via peroxymonosulfate (PMS)‐based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Results showed significant improvement in degradation efficiency, with Co/ZIF‐8@CT achieving 85.9% and ZIF‐8@CT 69.9% degradation, compared to just 23.57% without a catalyst. Coating with OA and BW slightly reduced the degradation rate (62.3% and 60.8%) due to restricted molecular diffusion. Additionally, the treated textiles demonstrated high oil–water separation efficiencies (86–97%) and excellent self‐cleaning performance, effectively removing Methylene Blue powder from their surfaces. These properties highlight the potential of the developed materials in addressing both pharmaceutical pollution and oily wastewater. Overall, the study presents a scalable, low‐temperature strategy for fabricating reusable, multifunctional textiles for advanced environmental remediation and sustainable wastewater treatment applications.