Exploring and Exploiting Dynamic Noncovalent Chemistry for Effective Surface Modification of Nanoscale Metal-Organic Frameworks

Surface properties determine, to a great extent, the biologically relevant functions of various kinds of nanosized materials. Although the modification of the surface of traditional inorganic or polymeric nanoparticles can be routinely achieved through covalent or noncovalent manner or both, the surface modification of nanoscale metal–organic frameworks (nano-MOFs) is extremely challenging because of their rapid degradation in aqueous environments. In this work, we systematically studied the synergistic and dynamic noncovalent interactions between fluorescent probes and iron(III) carboxylate nano-MOFs (i.e., MIL-101-NH2 (Fe), one of the most prevalent MOFs used in drug delivery and imaging). We further examined the interplay between the surface binding of fluorescent probes and the degradation of MIL-101-NH2 (Fe) in aqueous medium. It was demonstrated that the surface binding of probes is not only of high affinity but also dynamic and nonsheddable, even during the degradation, a feature that is essentiall...