Biomimicry in metal–organic materials

•We offer a comprehensive review on metal-organic materials with biomimetic features.•We provide a novel insight for designing biocompatible and ecofriendly materials.•Biomimetic MOMs have further enriched MOMs structural and functional diversity.•Intriguing MOM structures can be obtained by using biomolecules as building blocks.•Incorporation of bioactive centers into MOMs can lead to novel biomimetic catalysts. Nature has evolved a great number of biological molecules which serve as excellent constructional or functional units for metal–organic materials (MOMs). Even though the study of biomimetic MOMs is still at its embryonic stage, considerable progress has been made in the past few years. In this critical review, we will highlight the recent advances in the design, development and application of biomimetic MOMs, and illustrate how the incorporation of biological components into MOMs could further enrich their structural and functional diversity. More importantly, this review will provide a systematic overview of different methods for rational design of MOMs with biomimetic features.