Streamlined Dual-Readout HPV-16 DNA Sensor Empowered by the Intrinsic Colorimetric and Electrochemiluminescent Activities of Nanocrystalline PCN-224

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) combine the merits of programmable porosity with versatile metal nodes/organic ligands, allowing the precise integration of specific recognition and signal transduction within a single crystalline cell. Thus, they serve as an optimal platform for developing integrated, multifunctional sensing probes. Studies frequently exploit the versatility of MOFs as passive scaffolds to incorporate functional components for enhanced performances, this strategy often underestimates the intrinsic capacity of MOFs and introduces reproducibility and stability concerns that limit their practical applications. Herein, we tailored the morphology of PCN-224 via competitive coordination and employed the resultant nanocrystalline PCN-224 (nano-PCN) as a dual-functional probe in a magnetically controlled sensing system. The downsized nano-PCN significantly exposed the 6-connected catalytic Zr 6 O 4 (OH) 4 clusters, affording enhanced peroxidase-like activity for the naked-eye colorimetric detection. Concurrently, the retained crystalline structure ensured the molecular-level dispersion of and rapid mass transfer toward the emissive porphyrin linkers, thus enabling efficient electrochemiluminescence (ECL) for quantitative analysis. Cascaded with an enzyme-free entropy-driven DNA circuit (EDC), a highly integrated dual-readout HPV-16 DNA sensor was assembled rapidly from nano-PCN and circuit strands, delivering a 1.58 nM visual LOD and a broad ECL linear range of 0.1 nM to 10 μM without postmodification. By fully exploiting the native functionalities of MOFs, we anticipate that this simplified yet robust protocol can bridge home-based screening and laboratory diagnostics within a unified workflow.