MOF/polymer synergistic hybrid materials transforming the farm-to-table chain: chemical construction, performance regulation, and applications

Abstract

Modern agriculture and food systems require materials combining controlled porosity, well-defined active sites, and scalable processability. MOF/polymer hybrids meet this need by integrating the film-forming ability, mechanical flexibility, and environmental protection of polymers with the high surface area, ordered pores, and tunable coordination chemistry of MOFs. However, enthalpic mismatch, particle agglomeration, and non-selective interfacial voids can compromise pore accessibility and mass transport under humid, aqueous, and variable-pH agri-food conditions. This review presents an interface-centered framework that organizes MOF/polymer hybrids into four principal architectures and connects their multiscale bonding mechanisms with structure–property relationships across the farm-to-table chain. It examines how controlled dispersion, in situ growth, coordinative anchoring, covalent coupling, and polymer–ligand integration suppress non-selective voids, regulate interfacial free volume, and preserve accessible MOF channels. These mechanisms have enabled MOF/polymer gas-separation membranes to surpass conventional Robeson upper bounds by reconciling permeability and selectivity. Their systematic evaluation can therefore serve as a mechanistic reference for designing agri-food membranes and packaging that balance selective transport, barrier performance, mechanical integrity, and scalable processing. Applications in environmental remediation, food-safety sensing, controlled agrochemical delivery, membrane-based food processing, and active packaging are systematically examined. Safety issues, including metal-ion and ligand leaching, particle release, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, are discussed alongside perspectives on interfacial engineering, AI-assisted discovery, and regulation.