Advanced porous materials for antimicrobial treatment

Abstract

Infectious diseases are a global public health concern generated by uncontrolled uses of antimicrobials resulting in multidrug‐resistant (MDR) pathogens. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has made explicit the ineffective action of the current medicines and vaccines. Rapid diagnosis and effective treatment are the keys to reduce the capacity of MDR pathogens spreading very fast, avoiding high socioeconomic impact, severe and prolonged illness and death. Advanced porous materials have emerged as promising alternatives to the conventional diagnoses and therapy due to their low‐cost production, high biocompatibility, adjustable porous structure, large surface area, easy surface functionalization and capacity of loading high drugs amount. In this review, we first highlighted the current strategies to fight against infectious diseases. Then, we introduce the main advanced porous materials used in infectious diseases, including mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), porous silicon nanoparticles (PSiNPs), metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent–organic frameworks (COFs), hydrogen‐bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) and porous carbon materials. The strategies to fabricate these materials and their characterization for the application in the recent years for antimicrobial treatment is also discussed. Finally, we present an overview outlook and challenges on the future application of such materials for infectious diseases.

Special Issue on Advances in Porous Materials

“…The selection of papers in this Special Issue starts with four review papers. The first review paper provides an overview of the application of advanced porous materials for antimicrobial treatment [20]. Here, Santos and colleagues discussed the major challenges in infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, and how porous materials have emerged as promising alternatives to the conventional diagnoses and therapy in this medical area.…”