Multifunctional bimetallic MOF engineering: Innovative synthesis and versatile applications in adsorption, catalysis, sensing, and energy

With the growing demand for high-performance materials in modern society, bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (BMOFs) have emerged as a novel class of porous crystalline materials, demonstrating remarkable potential across diverse fields due to their unique physicochemical properties and broad application prospects. By incorporating a secondary metal center or mixed-metal nodes, BMOFs not only retain the advantages of conventional MOFs but also exhibit enhanced performance and functional diversity. This review comprehensively summarizes the fundamental characteristics of BMOFs, including high porosity, large specific surface area, excellent thermal/chemical stability, abundant active sites, superior conductivity, and tunable composition/structure. Moreover, we critically discuss the synthesis strategies of BMOFs, such as one-pot synthesis, ion exchange, template-assisted methods, and other innovative approaches. Furthermore, the recent advancements in BMOFs for adsorption, catalysis, sensing, and energy-related applications are thoroughly reviewed. Finally, we outline the current challenges and future research directions, emphasizing the importance of optimizing synthesis strategies, expanding application scopes, and establishing sustainable systems. This review aims to provide both theoretical insights and practical guidance for the design and application of BMOFs and their derived materials.