Recent Progress in Antibiotic Degradation by Porphyrin-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks

The increasing presence of antibiotic residues in aquatic environments has emerged as a significant global environmental and public health concern. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies are often insufficient to completely remove these persistent contaminants, leading to the spread of antibiotic resistance and ecological toxicity. In recent years, metal–organic frameworks have attracted considerable attention as promising materials for water remediation due to their high surface area, tunable porosity, and structural versatility. Among them, porphyrin-based MOFs (Por-MOFs) represent an especially powerful class of photocatalysts owing to their excellent light-harvesting ability, efficient charge transfer properties, and capacity to generate reactive oxygen species under visible light. This review summarizes recent advances in the design and application of porphyrin-based MOFs for the degradation of antibiotic pollutants in water systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the structural design strategies of Por-MOFs, including ligand engineering, metal node selection, defect engineering, and the construction of heterostructures such as Z-scheme photocatalytic systems. The photocatalytic mechanisms responsible for antibiotic degradation, including singlet oxygen generation, photo-Fenton processes, and charge transfer pathways, are discussed in detail. Furthermore, representative studies on the removal of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulfathiazole, norfloxacin, and amoxicillin are analyzed to highlight the performance and limitations of these materials. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives for the development of next-generation porphyrin-based MOFs for sustainable environmental remediation are discussed, including stability in aqueous environments, large-scale synthesis, and integration into practical water treatment technologies.