Metal-Organic Framework-Templated Biomaterials: Recent Progress in Synthesis, Functionalization, and Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Integrating porous crystalline frameworks with polymers for biomaterials is challenging.
• Metal-organic framework (MOF)-templated polymers (MTPs) offer a modular approach, combining MOF precision with polymer flexibility.
• Surface-anchored MOFs (SURMOFs) can be transformed into more stable polymeric materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce surface-anchored polymeric gels (SURGELs) as a novel class of soft nanoporous biomaterials.
• To demonstrate the advantages of SURGELs over SURMOFs, including enhanced stability and reduced toxicity.
• To highlight the potential of SURGELs for tailored biofunctions and advanced applications in life sciences.

Main Methods:

• Transformation of surface-anchored MOFs (SURMOFs) into SURGELs via orthogonal covalent cross-linking.
• Utilizing MOF-templated polymerization induced by light, catalysts, or temperature (e.g., thiol-ene, click reactions).
• Employing layer-by-layer (lbl) techniques for precise, layer-selective functionalization of SURMOFs before transformation.

Main Results:

• SURGELs exhibit improved stability under physiological conditions and mitigate metal ion leaching compared to SURMOFs.
• MOF crystal morphology is replicated in the polymer network, enabling hierarchical structuring.
• Demonstrated applications include bioactive molecule delivery, tunable cell adhesion, and antimicrobial porphyrin-based SURGELs.

Conclusions:

• SURGELs represent a significant advancement in creating persistent, modular nanoporous biomaterials with tailored biofunctions.
• Hierarchical structuring from molecular to macroscopic scales optimizes material properties for cell-material interactions.
• Future directions include incorporating responsive and adaptive functionalities for enhanced biocompatibility and performance.