Unlocking the potential of actinide-based metal-organic frameworks

<h2>Summary</h2> Actinide-based metal-organic frameworks (An-MOFs) have emerged as a distinctive class of porous materials, shaped by the diverse oxidation states and coordination environments of actinide elements. Ranging from monomeric nodes to high-nuclearity clusters, their structural diversity is enriched by actinide-specific motifs, particularly actinyl-driven helices and layered architectures. Moving beyond traditional structure-focused discussions, this review also highlights recent advances that underscore the exceptional functional potential of An-MOFs, particularly in stability enhancement and application versatility. Notably, significant progress has been made in improving their resilience, with several frameworks demonstrating robust performance under extreme acidic, thermal, and radiological conditions. These breakthroughs lay the groundwork for transitioning An-MOFs from conceptual constructs to practical materials for challenging environments. Furthermore, promising applications span radiation sensing, radionuclide separation and detection, self-luminescent energy systems, and emerging radiopharmaceutical platforms for targeted therapy and <i>in vivo</i> imaging.