When metal nanoclusters meet reticular framework materials: A promising nanocomposites for boosting advanced biosensing

Abstract

Metal nanoclusters (MNCs) with atomically precise structures, tunable fluorescence, and unique catalytic activities have attracted significant attention in the development and construction of biosensing platforms. However, their practical applications still suffer from some limits to a certain extent, such as instability, easy aggregation, and sensitivity to environmental interference. The emergence of reticular framework materials (RFMs), including metal organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and hydrogen bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), provides an effective platform to overcome these limitations. The integration of MNCs with RFMs not only prevents aggregation and enhances structural stability through spatial confinement but also enables synergistic modulation of electronic structures and interfacial charge transfer, leading to remarkable improvements in optical, catalytic, and electrochemical properties. Recently, plenty of MNCs@RFMs have been successfully developed and have obtained widespread applications in the field of biosensing. In this review, we systematically summarized the latest progresses in synthesis and properties of MNCs@RFMs and their promising applications in construction of biosensors. First of all, the synthesis strategies and properties of MNCs@RFMs were comprehensively summarized and discussed. Then, research hotspots in this emerging field (i.e., structure-property relationships, performance improvement, and exploration on new performances of MNCs@RFMs) were discussed. In addition, promising applications of MNCs@RFMs in the fields of biosensing (i.e., fluorescence, electrochemical, electrochemiluminescence, colorimetric, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering) and portable detection devices were also summarized and discussed. Finally, current challenges and future research perspectives in this emerging field were outlined.