Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for the Antimicrobial Applications

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous crystalline materials made-up of transition-metal cations linked with multidentate organic ligands by the coordination bonds. The strong, flexible frameworks and the porous structure of the MOFs establish them as an effective carriers of various functional compounds, such as gases, drugs, and anti-microbial agents. The MOFs render high loading capacity and sustained release, which is the desired property in anti-microbial applications. Similar porous material for the anti-microbial application is Zeolite, however, it is more complex to synthesize than MOFs. Currently, MOFs are used mainly in catalysis, gas separation and storage, and water purification applications. In the applications as anti-microbial agents, MOFs are just emerging into the field application from the laboratory scale. Hence, this chapter discusses the properties, synthetic procedures, anti-bacterial mechanisms and various forms of MOFs for anti-microbial applications. The MOFs are often doped with metal nanoparticles, polymers, and metal-polymer complexes. Each category of MOFs has a different mechanistic approach to inhibiting microbial colony growth. In this regard, this chapter will provide sufficient information on the MOFs, which will help to understand their significance in anti-microbial applications and their scope

Keywords: Anti-microbial, Metal-Organic Frameworks, Nanoparticles, Polymers, Porous materials.