Pheromone Encapsulation and Release in ZIF-8: Experimental and DFT Insights for Termite Control in Cultural Heritage

Nanotechnology has steered cultural heritage preservation toward more environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. In this study, pheromones and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were integrated to achieve selective pest control. In accordance with the principles of green chemistry, room-temperature aqueous synthesis was performed to prepare a nanoscale MOF called zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). A pheromone called n -butyl- n -butyrate (Drug b) was then integrated with ZIF-8 to achieve termite control through its sustained release. The synthetic process was then systematically modified to achieve suitable synthesis conditions. X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to confirm the synthesis of nanoscale ZIF-8. The results indicated that the products had a particle size of approximately 134 nm. Drug b was successfully loaded into ZIF-8 and released in a sustained manner. In accordance with density functional theory, the force binding Drug b with ZIF-8 was slightly greater than that binding Drug b with the solvent. Therefore, the loading of Drug b required proper stirring. However, the force binding Drug b with ZIF-8 was not excessively strong to the point of impeding the evaporation of Drug b. These findings confirmed that MOFs can be effectively used to overcome challenges in cultural heritage preservation, a new field of application for this novel material.