Advances in nanoarchitectonics of metal-organic frameworks and metal-/ metalloid-containing nanomaterials for antibacterial and antifungal applications

The past two decades have seen exponential growth in the design and applications of nanoparticles in the medical field. This review is focused on recent developments in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and nanomaterials as inhibitors of microbial growth. With the development of the field of MOFs at the end of the 20th century, much research has been devoted to their biomedical applications. A brief introduction to the structure and synthetic methodologies of MOFs is described. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of a number of examples of MOFs containing transition metals, inner transition metals, and other metals are explored. Metaland metalloid-containing nanoparticles and composites have also been surveyed for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. A brief description of green and chemical syntheses of nanoparticles is included. This class of metallic nanomaterials encompasses a vast number of nanoarchitectonic paradigms, however, in this review, we will identify a few examples from each metallic group to illustrate the importance of the antimicrobial properties of these nanoparticles. Although metalloids are comprised of a small number of elements compared to metals, there have been several investigations into their antimicrobial activities, which are highlighted at the end of the review. These new substances demonstrate the viability of this class of materials to overcome the evergrowing threat of antimicrobial resistance.