Stable MOFs and composites for photocatalytic antibacterial applications

Photocatalytic sterilization is regarded as an attractive solution to combat the threats brought by infectious pathogens. Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with controllable designability and tunable functionality have emerged as desirable candidates to fabricate photocatalytic sterilizers. This review systematically summarizes the latest progress on MOF-based materials developed for photocatalytic sterilization. It mainly focuses on the antimicrobial mechanism, evaluation methods of stable MOFs, as well as their prospective practical applications. In addition, diverse strategies toward the design and synthesis of high-performance antimicrobial MOFs are discussed. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives in this progressing and thriving field are highlighted. This review aims to provide an insight into the design of MOF-based photoactive platforms and facilitate development of photocatalytic antibacterial arsenals.