Recent advances in metal–organic frameworks as emerging platforms for immunoassays

Abstract

The high specificity and affinity of antibody-antigen interactions allow immunoassays to provide rapid and simple detection results. The development of reliable and sensitive immunosensing techniques is essential for the detection of trace targets. To increase the sensitivity and effectiveness of detection, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a family of crystalline materials with a very high tunability and variety, have been introduced to immunoassays. MOFs confer exceptional stability, sensitivity, selectivity, and simplicity of assembly to the related immunoassay platforms through their distinct pore structure and tunable surface functionalization features. In this review, we discuss the latest developments of MOFs in immunoassays, including different approaches to the synthesis of MOF composites, the interactions between the components and MOF, and the collective enhancement of sensing performance that results from these interactions. In this review, we present recent advances of MOFs in immunoassays, including various synthesis strategies of MOF composites, the interactions between the components and MOF, and the synergistic improvement of sensing performance that these interactions contribute to. According to the classification of immunoassay platforms, the broad applications of MOF-based composites are systematically presented, and the advantages of MOFs in improving detection stability and sensitivity are emphasized. Finally, a brief discussion of challenges and potential directions for MOF-based immunoassay research is provided.