The applications of fluorinated molecules in bioengineering and nanotechnology are expanding rapidly with the controlled introduction of fluorine being broadly studied due to the unique properties of C−F bonds. This review will focus on the design and utility of C−F containing materials in imaging, therapeutics, and environmental applications with a central theme being the importance of controlling fluorine−fluorine interactions and understanding how such interactions impact biological behavior. Low natural abundance of fluorine is shown to provide sensitivity and background advantages for imaging and detection of a variety of diseases with 19 F magnetic resonance imaging, 18 F positron emission tomography and ultrasound discussed as illustrative examples. The presence of C−F bonds can also be used to tailor membrane permeability and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs and delivery agents for enhanced cell uptake and therapeutics. A key message of this review is that while the promise of C−F containing materials is significant, a subset of highly fluorinated compounds such as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have been identified as posing a potential risk to human health. The unique properties of the C−F bond and the significant potential for fluorine−fluorine interactions in PFAS structures necessitate the development of new strategies for facile and efficient environmental removal and remediation. Recent progress in the development of fluorine-containing compounds as molecular imaging and therapeutic agents will be reviewed and their design features contrasted with environmental and health risks for PFAS systems. Finally, present challenges and future directions in the exploitation of the biological aspects of fluorinated systems will be described.

The increasing accumulation of heavy metal ions in our surroundings is posing a serious threat to living systems. Adsorption means based on a variety of micro/nanomaterials and micro/nanomanipulation are being employed for fast and highly efficient removal of various pollutants. Here, a kind of biohybrid adsorbents is developed through in situ growing magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles on hydrothermally‐treated fungi spores. Such organic/inorganic porous spore@Fe3O4 biohybrid adsorbents (PSFBAs) can effectively adsorb and remove heavy metal ions due to porous structuring and high‐adsorbing components. Once combined with a magnetically‐driven microrobotic technique, magnetic PSFBAs in controllably collective motion show enhanced adsorption capacity and shorter removal time for multiple heavy metal ions compared to nonmotile counterparts. The corresponding magnetic actuation of collective PSFBAs swarming into a narrow fluidic channel is demonstrated. When utilizing these adsorbents together with magnetically‐propelled swarming microrobotic technique, lead ions in contaminated water are rapidly removed from 5 ppm down to 0.9 ppm, superior to untreated and static counterparts. Furthermore, such magnetically‐propelled PSFBAs can be reused after facile separation and post‐treatment, which is demonstrated by four consecutive cycles. The combination of biological entities and swarming microrobotic techniques would provide a promising avenue for the decontamination of pollutants in environmental remediation.

By virtue of the unique magnetic properties and other functionalities, multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are very promising in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. This review summarizes recent developments pertaining to the synthesis of MNPs with focus on the various surface modification strategies such as chemical synthesis, self-assembly, and ligand exchange. Recent applications of MNPs to multimodal imaging including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/optical imaging (fluorescent dyes, quantum dots (QDs), near-infrared absorption and up-conversion luminescence, MRI/positron emission tomography (PET), MRI/X-ray computed tomography (CT), and triple modality imaging are discussed. In addition, targeted drug and gene delivery, hyperthermia treatment for cancer, and other biomedical diagnosis rendered possible by MNPs are described.

Multistage pH/H2O2/redox-responsive 3D nanoflowers that fully exploit the tumor microenvironment achieve highly specific guided multimode diagnosis with excellent synergistic chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy effects both in vitro and in vivo.