Design of composite strategies for metal–organic frameworks in bacterial detection and antibacterial therapy: a review

Abstract

Bacterial infections remain a major threat to global public health, driving intensive research into both bacterial detection and antibacterial therapies. Among emerging functional materials, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted increasing attention due to their unique properties, including large specific surface area, high porosity, and structural tunability. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in MOF-based design strategies for bacterial detection and treatment. In detection, MOFs have been integrated into various platforms such as fluorescence probes, electrochemical biosensors, colorimetric sensors, and photoelectrochemical sensors, achieving high sensitivity and selectivity. In antibacterial therapy, MOFs have demonstrated promising performance in multiple activation modes, including photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and chemodynamic therapy (CDT), by enabling controllable release of active species or synergistic effects. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives are discussed to provide guidance for the rational design of next-generation MOF-based systems for bacterial diagnosis and treatment.