Magnetic Nanohybrids Loaded with Bimetal Core–Shell–Shell Nanorods for Bacteria Capture,Separation, and Near‐Infrared Photothermal Treatment

A novel antimicrobial nanohybrid based on near‐infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion is designed for bacteria capture, separation, and sterilization (killing). Positively charged magnetic reduced graphene oxide with modification by polyethylenimine (rGO–Fe₃O₄–PEI) is prepared and then loaded with core–shell–shell Au–Ag–Au nanorods to construct the nanohybrid rGO–Fe₃O₄–Au–Ag–Au. NIR laser irradiation melts the outer Au shell and exposes the inner Ag shell, which facilitates controlled release of the silver shell. The nanohybrids combine physical photothermal sterilization as a result of the outer Au shell with the antibacterial effect of the inner Ag shell. In addition, the nanohybrid exhibits high heat conductivity because of the rGO and rapid magnetic‐separation capability that is attributable to Fe₃O₄. The nanohybrid provides a significant improvement of bactericidal efficiency with respect to bare Au–Ag–Au nanorods and facilitates the isolation of bacteria from sample matrixes. A concentration of 25 μg mL^?1 of nanohybrid causes 100 % capture and separation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (1×10⁸ cfu mL^?1) from an aqueous medium in 10 min. In addition, it causes a 22 °C temperature rise for the surrounding solution under NIR irradiation (785 nm, 50 mW cm^?2) for 10 min. With magnetic separation, 30 μg mL^?1 of nanohybrid results in a 100 % killing rate for E. coli O157:H7 cells. The facile bacteria separation and photothermal sterilization is potentially feasible for environmental and/or clinical treatment.     

Polyethylene glycol phospholipids encapsulated silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine dihydroxide nanoparticles (SiNcOH-DSPEPEG(NH2) NPs) for single NIR laser induced cancer combination therapy

Currently, the combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a powerful technique for cancer treatment. However, most examples of combined PTT and PDT reported use multi-component nanocomposites under excitation of separate wavelength, resulting in complex treatment process. In this work, a novel theranostic nanoplatform (SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs) has been successfully developed by coating silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine dihydroxide (SiNcOH) with DSPE-PEG and DSPE-PEG-NH₂ for photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided PTT and PDT tumor ablation for the first time. The as-prepared single-agent SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs not only have good water solubility and biocompatibility, but also exhibit high photothermal conversion efficiency and singlet oxygen generation capability upon 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. In addition, owing to their high absorption at NIR region, the SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs can also be employed as an effective diagnostic nanoagent for photoacoustic (PA) imaging. In vitro and in vivo experimental results clearly indicated that the simultaneously combined PTT and PDT under the guidance of PA imaging with single NIR laser excitation can effectively kill cancer cells or eradicate tumor tissues. Taking facile synthesis and high efficiency in cancer treatment by SiNcOH-DSPE-PEG(NH₂) NPs into consideration, our study provides a promising strategy to realize molecular imaging-guided combination therapy.     

Tailored Synthesis of Octopus‐type Janus Nanoparticles for Synergistic Actively‐Targeted and Chemo‐Photothermal Therapy

A facile, reproducible, and scalable method was explored to construct uniform Au@poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) Janus nanoparticles (JNPs). The as‐prepared JNPs were used as templates to preferentially grow a mesoporous silica (mSiO₂) shell and Au branches separately modified with methoxy‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐thiol (PEG) to improve their stability, and lactobionic acid (LA) for tumor‐specific targeting. The obtained octopus‐type PEG‐Au‐PAA/mSiO₂‐LA Janus NPs (PEG‐OJNP‐LA) possess pH and NIR dual‐responsive release properties. Moreover, DOX‐loaded PEG‐OJNP‐LA, upon 808 nm NIR light irradiation, exhibit obviously higher toxicity at the cellular and animal levels compared with chemotherapy or photothermal therapy alone, indicating the PEG‐OJNP‐LA could be utilized as a multifunctional nanoplatform for in vitro and in vivo actively‐targeted and chemo‐photothermal cancer therapy.     

Rational design of iridium–porphyrin conjugates for novel synergistic photodynamic and photothermal therapy anticancer agents

Near-infrared (NIR) emitters are important probes for biomedical applications. Nanoparticles (NPs) incorporating mono- and tetranuclear iridium(iii) complexes attached to a porphyrin core have been synthesized. They possess deep-red absorbance, long-wavelength excitation (635 nm) and NIR emission (720 nm). TD-DFT calculations demonstrate that the iridium–porphyrin conjugates herein combine the respective advantages of small organic molecules and transition metal complexes as photosensitizers (PSs): (i) the conjugates retain the long-wavelength excitation and NIR emission of porphyrin itself; (ii) the conjugates possess highly effective intersystem crossing (ISC) to obtain a considerably more long-lived triplet photoexcited state. These photoexcited states do not have the usual radiative behavior of phosphorescent Ir(iii) complexes, and they play a very important role in promoting the singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and heat generation required for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). The tetranuclear 4-Ir NPs exhibit high ¹O₂ generation ability, outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency (49.5%), good biocompatibility, low half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) (0.057 μM), excellent photothermal imaging and synergistic PDT and PTT under 635 nm laser irradiation. To our knowledge this is the first example of iridium–porphyrin conjugates as PSs for photothermal imaging-guided synergistic PDT and PTT treatment in vivo.

Iridium–porphyrin conjugates assembled in nanoparticles are photosensitizers that exhibit excellent photothermal imaging and synergistic PDT and PTT in vivo.     

D-A-D structured selenadiazolesbenzothiadiazole-based near-infrared dye for enhanced photoacoustic imaging and photothermal cancer therapy

Near-infrared (NIR) small molecular organic dyes as photothermal agents for cancer photothermal therapy (PTT) have attracted considerable research attention. Herein, two donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) structured NIR dyes, BBTT and SeBTT, are rationally designed, where the only difference is one heteroatom within the acceptor unit varying from sulfur to selenium (Se). More importantly, SeBTT NPs exhibit stronger NIR absorbance and higher photothermal conversion efficiency (PTCE ≈ 65.3%). In vivo experiments illustrate that SeBTT NPs can be utilized as a high contrast photoacoustic imaging (PAI) agent, and succeed in tumor suppression without noticeable damage to main organs under NIR photoirradiation. This study presents an effective molecular heteroatom surgery strategy to regulate the photothermal properties of NIR small molecules for enhanced PAI and PTT.     

Temperature‐Correlated Afterglow of a Semiconducting Polymer Nanococktail for Imaging‐Guided Photothermal Therapy

Nanoparticles for photothermal therapy: Real‐time temperature monitoring is critical to reduce the nonspecific damage during photothermal therapy (PTT); however, PTT agents that can emit temperature‐related signals are rare and limited to few inorganic nanoparticles. We herein synthesize a semiconducting polymer nanococktail (SPN_CT) that can not only convert photo‐energy to heat but also emit temperature‐correlated luminescence after cessation of light excitation. Such an afterglow luminescence of the SPN_CT detects tumors more sensitively than fluorescence as a result of the elimination of tissue autofluorescence, while its temperature‐dependent nature allows tumor temperature to be optically monitored under near‐infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Thus, SPN_CT represents the first organic optical nanosystem that enables optical‐imaging guided PTT without real‐time light excitation.     

Multifunctional Uniform Core–Shell Fe3O4@mSiO2 Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Bimodal Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

Multimodal imaging and simultaneous therapy is highly desirable because it can provide complementary information from each imaging modality for accurate diagnosis and, at the same time, afford an imaging‐guided focused tumor therapy. In this study, indocyanine green (ICG), a near‐infrared (NIR) imaging agent and perfect NIR light absorber for laser‐mediated photothermal therapy, was successfully incorporated into superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄@mSiO₂ core–shell nanoparticles to combine the merit of NIR/magnetic resonance (MR) bimodal imaging properties with NIR photothermal therapy. The resultant nanoparticles were homogenously coated with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) to make the surface of the composite nanoparticles positively charged, which would enhance cellular uptake driven by electrostatic interactions between the positive surface of the nanoparticles and the negative surface of the cancer cell. A high biocompatibility of the achieved nanoparticles was demonstrated by using a cell cytotoxicity assay. Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observations indicated excellent NIR fluorescent imaging properties of the ICG‐loaded nanoparticles. The relatively high r₂ value (171.6 mM ^?1 s^?1) of the nanoparticles implies its excellent capability as a contrast agent for MRI. More importantly, the ICG‐loaded nanoparticles showed perfect NIR photothermal therapy properties, thus indicating their potential for simultaneous cancer diagnosis as highly effective NIR/MR bimodal imaging probes and for NIR photothermal therapy of cancerous cells.     

Biomimetic Synthesis of Ag2Se Quantum Dots with Enhanced Photothermal Properties and as “Gatekeepers” to Cap Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Chemo–Photothermal Therapy

Ag₂Se quantum dots (QDs) with near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence have been widely utilized in NIR fluorescence imaging in vivo because of their narrow bulk band gap and excellent biocompatibility. However, most of synthesis methods for Ag₂Se QDs are expensive and the reactants are toxic. Herein, a new protein‐templated biomimetic synthesis approach is proposed for the preparation of Ag₂Se QDs by employing bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a template and dispersant. The BSA‐templated Ag₂Se QDs (Ag₂Se@BSA QDs) showed NIR fluorescence with high fluorescence quantum yield (≈21.2 %), excellent biocompatibility and good dispersibility in different media. Moreover, the obtained Ag₂Se@BSA QDs exhibited remarkable photothermal conversion (≈27.8 %), which could be used in photothermal therapy. As a model application in biomedicine, the Ag₂Se@BSA QDs were used as “gatekeepers” to cap mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) by means of electrostatic interaction. By taking the advantages of NIR fluorescence and photothermal property of Ag₂Se@BSA QDs, the obtained MSN‐DOX‐Ag₂Se nanoparticles (MDA NPs) were employed as a nanoplatform for combined chemo‐photothermal therapy. Compared with free DOX and MDA NPs without NIR laser, the laser‐treated MDA NPs exhibited lower cell viability in vitro, implying that Ag₂Se@BSA QDs are highly promising photothermal agents and the MDA NPs are potential carriers for chemo–photothermal therapy.     

Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles with Phospholipid‐PEG Coating for In Vivo Near‐Infrared Photothermal Cancer Therapy

In this work, small sizes of hydrophobic copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs, ～3.8 nm in diameter) have been successfully prepared from the reaction of copper chloride with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (SDEDTC) inside a heated oleylamine solution. These CuS NPs displayed strong absorption in the 700–1100 nm near‐infrared (NIR) region. By coating CuS NPs with DSPE‐PEG2000 on the surface, the as‐synthesized CuS@DSPE‐PEG NPs exhibited good water solubility, significant stability and biocompatibility, as well as excellent photothermal conversion effects upon exposure to an 808 nm laser. After intravenous administration to mice, the CuS@DSPE‐PEG NPs were found to passively target to the tumor site, and tumor tissues could be ablated efficiency under laser irradiation. In addition, CuS@DSPE‐PEG NPs do not show significant toxicity by histological and blood chemistry analysis, and can be effectively excreted via metabolism. Our results indicated that CuS@DSPE‐PEG NPs can act as an ideal photothermal agent for cancer photothermal therapy.     

Polymer materials for constructing therapeutical nanoparticles in photothermal therapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) ablates tumors by thermal effects of photothermal agents (PTAs), and attracts wide attention due to the non-invasive characteristic. The ideal PTAs are expected to have high photothermal conversion effect under NIR irradiation, as well as targeting abilities and good biocompatibility satisfying the need of application in vivo. Nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly used as anti-tumor materials, and plenty of researches on therapeutical NPs for PTT treatment have been developed. Among various building blocks for photothermal NPs, polymer materials for biomedical applications have great advantages due to their negligible toxicity, flexibility for functional modification, and ability to integrate multiple therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on the polymer materials utilized in photothermal NP designing, including their application as excellent carriers and powerful PTAs with great PTT effects. Furthermore, the synergy therapy based on polymeric nanoplatform for enhancing PTT therapeutic efficiency will be introduced.     

One-pot photoreduction to prepare NIR-absorbing plasmonic gold nanoparticles tethered by amphiphilic polypeptide copolymer for synergistic photothermal-chemotherapy

We developed one-pot photoreduction strategy to fabricate the NIR-absorbing plasmonic PLC-b-PEO@Au NPs. It possessed strong NIR absorption at 700-1100 nm, an ultrahigh photothermal conversion efficiency of 62.1%, and good photostability.     

Surface Plasmon Resonance‐Enhanced Visible‐NIR‐Driven Photocatalytic and Photothermal Catalytic Performance by Ag/Mesoporous Black TiO2 Nanotube Heterojunctions

Ag/mesoporous black TiO₂ nanotubes heterojunctions (Ag‐MBTHs) were fabricated through a surface hydrogenation, wet‐impregnation and photoreduction strategy. The as‐prepared Ag‐MBTHs possess a relatively high specific surface area of ≈85 m² g^?1 and an average pore size of ≈13.2 nm. The Ag‐MBTHs with a narrow band gap of ≈2.63 eV extend the photoresponse from UV to the visible‐light and near‐infrared (NIR) region. They exhibit excellent visible‐NIR‐driven photothermal catalytic and photocatalytic performance for complete conversion of nitro aromatic compounds (100 %) and mineralization of highly toxic phenol (100 %). The enhancement can be attributed to the mesoporous hollow structures increasing the light multi‐refraction, the Ti³⁺ in frameworks and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of plasmonic Ag nanoparticles favoring light‐harvesting and spatial separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which is confirmed by transient fluorescence. The fabrication of this SPR‐enhanced visible‐NIR‐driven Ag‐MBTHs catalyst may provide new insights for designing other high‐performance heterojunctions as photocatalytic and photothermal catalytic nanomaterials.     

Algae Extraction Controllable Delamination of Vanadium Carbide Nanosheets with Enhanced Near‐Infrared Photothermal Performance

The two‐dimensional (2D) vanadium carbide (V₂C) MXene has shown great potential as a photothermal agent (PTA) for photothermal therapy (PTT). However, the use of V₂C in PTT is limited by the harsh synthesis condition and low photothermal conversion efficiency (PTCE). Herein, we report a completely different green delamination method using algae extraction to intercalate and delaminate V₂AlC to produce mass V₂C nanosheets (NSs) with a high yield (90 %). The resulting V₂C NSs demonstrated good structural integrity and remarkably high absorption in near infrared (NIR) region with a PTCE as high as 48 %. Systemic in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that the V₂C NSs can serve as efficient PTA for photoacoustic (PA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐guided PTT of cancer. This work provides a cost‐effective, environment‐friendly, and high‐yielding disassembly approach of MAX, opening a new avenue to develop MXenes with desirable properties for a myriad of applications.     

A Sweet Polydopamine Nanoplatform for Synergistic Combination of Targeted Chemo‐Photothermal Therapy

Inspired by sweet or sugar‐coated bullets that are used for medications in clinics and the structure and function of biological melanin, a novel kind of sweet polydopamine nanoparticles and their anticancer drug doxorubicin loaded counterparts are prepared, which integrate an active targeting function, photothermal therapy, and chemotherapy into one polymeric nanocarrier. The oxidative polymerization of lactosylated dopamine and/or with dopamine are performed under mild conditions and the resulting sweet nanoparticles are thoroughly characterized. When exposed to an 808 nm continuous‐wave diode laser, the magnitude of temperature elevation not only increases with the concentration of nanoparticles, but can also be tuned by the laser power density. The nanoparticles possess strong near infrared light absorption, high photothermal conversion efficiency, and good photostability. The nanoparticles present tunable binding with RCA₁₂₀ lectin and a targeting effect to HepG2 cells, confirmed by dynamic light scattering, turbidity analysis, MTT assay, and flow cytometry. Importantly, the sweet nanoparticles give the lowest IC₅₀ value of 11.67 μg mL⁻¹ for chemo‐photothermal therapy compared with 43.19 μg mL⁻¹ for single chemotherapy and 67.38 μg mL⁻¹ for photothermal therapy alone, demonstrating a good synergistic effect for the combination therapy.     

Near‐Infrared Light and pH‐Responsive Polypyrrole@Polyacrylic acid/Fluorescent Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Imaging and Chemo‐Photothermal Cancer Therapy

We have rationally designed a new theranostic agent by coating near‐infrared (NIR) light‐absorbing polypyrrole (PPY) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), in which PAA acts as a nanoreactor and template, followed by growing small fluorescent silica nanoparticles (fSiO₂ NPs) inside the PAA networks, resulting in the formation of polypyrrole@polyacrylic acid/fluorescent mesoporous silica (PPY@PAA/fmSiO₂) core–shell NPs. Meanwhile, DOX‐loaded PPY@PAA/fmSiO₂ NPs as pH and NIR dual‐sensitive drug delivery vehicles were employed for fluorescence imaging and chemo‐photothermal synergetic therapy in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrate that the PPY@PAA/fmSiO₂ NPs show high in vivo tumor uptake by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect after intravenous injection as revealed by in vivo fluorescence imaging, which is very helpful for visualizing the location of the tumor. Moreover, the obtained NPs inhibit tumor growth (95.6 % of tumors were eliminated) because of the combination of chemo‐photothermal therapy, which offers a synergistically improved therapeutic outcome compared with the use of either therapy alone. Therefore, the present study provides new insights into developing NIR and pH‐stimuli responsive PPY‐based multifunctional platform for cancer theranostics.     

Synthesis method-dependent photothermal effects of colloidal solutions of platinum nanoparticles used in photothermal anticancer therapy

One of the most common anticancer therapies is photothermal therapy (PTT). The effectiveness of PTT depends on the photosensitizer being a molecule which is toxic for the cancer cells after electromagnetic wave irradiation. Therefore, a simulation of PTT was performed in this work on two colon cancer cells (SW480 and SW620) using platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs). Interestingly, in the literature the dependence between the synthesis method and the photothermal properties of Pt NPs was not discussed. Consequently, in this paper, we evaluated the photothermal properties of Pt NPs synthesized by two different methods: polyol (PtI NPs) and green chemistry (PtII NPs). Scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed that the size of both Pt NPs obtained was 2 nm, the NPs were not agglomerated, and that the PtII NPs were distributed on green tea supports. The selected area electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the crystallinity of both types of Pt NPs. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of the PtII NPs showed interactions between the NPs and stretching modes for C=O groups from flavonoids and polyphenols. Therefore, these chemical compounds could be responsible for reducing Pt⁴⁺ ions to Pt⁰. Moreover, the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay showed that the PtII NPs exhibited 10% and 20% better cytotoxicity effect on SW480 and SW620 cells, than PtI NPs. The viability of cancer cells decreased when Pt NPs were used in PTT. The highest percentage of dead cells (82%) was observed for PtII NPs and 650-nm laser irradiation. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy showed structural changes induced by both Pt NPs and laser irradiation of cells in the range corresponding to levels of DNA, phospholipids, proteins, and lipids. Moreover, the calculated photothermal conversion efficiency showed that the value of this parameter is around 35%, regardless of the synthesis method and used wavelengths.     

NIR light-induced tumor phototherapy using ICG delivery system based on platelet-membrane-camouflaged hollow bismuth selenide nanoparticles

Near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising treatment strategy for treating cancer. The combination of nanotechnology and NIR has been widely applied. However, the therapeutic efficacy of the drug-delivery system depends on their ability to avoid phagocytosis of endothelial system, cross the biological barriers, prolong circulation life, localize and rapidly release the therapeutic at target sites. In this work, we designed a platelet membrane (PM)-camouflaged hollow mesoporous bismuth selenide nanoparticles (BS NPs) loading with indocyanine green (ICG) (PM@BS-ICG NPs) to achieve the above advantages. PM-coating has active tumor-targeting ability which could prevent drug leakage and provide drug long circulation, causing drug delivery systems to accumulate in tumor sites effectively. Moreover, as a type of the photothermal sensitizers, BS NPs are used as the inner cores to improve ICG stability and are served as scaffolds to enhance the hardness of this drug delivery system. For one hand, the thermal vibration of BS NPs under NIR laser irradiation causes tumor inhibition through hyperthermia. For another hand, this hyperthermia process could damage PM and let ICG rapid release from PM@BS-ICG NPs. The in vitro and in vivo results showed that this biomimetic nano-drug delivery system exhibits obvious antitumor activity which has good application prospect.     

Linker‐free Gold Nanoparticle Superstructure Coated with Poly(dopamine) by Site‐Specific Polymerization for Amplifying Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Although linker‐free Au nanoparticle superstructures (AuNPSTs) have demonstrated to have satisfactory photothermal conversion efficiency owing to their enhanced visible‐near‐infrared absorption caused by the interparticle coupling, they cannot be used directly for in vivo photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer because of poor stability. To address this issue, we herein propose a polymer‐coating strategy, dressing AuNPST on a poly(dopamine) (PDA) coat, and successfully investigate the in vivo PTT effect of AuNPSTs. By employing Triton X‐100 as an emulsifier for the formation of AuNPSTs, dopamine was site‐specifically polymerized around each AuNPST by the interaction between ?OH of Triton X‐100 and ?NH₂ of dopamine. As‐fabricated AuNPST/PDA has a sphere‐like shape with an average diameter of ～106 nm and the PDA shell is about 10 nm PDA thick. The AuNPST/PDA shows enhanced durability to heat, acid, and alkali compared with bare AuNPST. Also, under 808 nm laser irradiation, AuNPST/PDA shows photothermal conversion efficiency of ～33%, higher than bare AuNPST (～23%). Significantly, AuNPST/PDA can be used as in‐vitro and in‐vivo PTT agent and shows excellent therapeutic efficacy for tumor ablation thanks to its enhanced stability and biocompatibility, indicative of its potential practicability in clinical PTT.     

Dual‐Mode Antibacterial Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy

In this work, dual‐mode antibacterial conjugated polymer nanoparticles (DMCPNs) combined with photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are designed and explored for efficient killing of ampicillin‐resistant Escherichia coli (Amp^r E. coli). The DMCPNs are self‐assembled into nanoparticles with a size of 50.4 ± 0.6 nm by co‐precipitation method using the photothermal agent poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole‐thienothiophene) (PDPPTT) and the photosensitizer poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐((2‐ethylhexyl)oxy)‐p‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH‐PPV) in the presence of poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) which makes nanoparticles disperse well in water via hydrophobic interactions. Thus, DMCPNs simultaneously possess photothermal effect and the ability of sensitizing oxygen in the surrounding to generate reactive oxygen species upon the illumination of light, which could easily damage resistant bacteria. Under combined irradiation of near‐infrared light (550 mW cm^?2, 5 min) and white light (65 mW cm^?2, 5 min), DMCPNs with a concentration of 9.6 × 10^?4 µm could reach a 93% inhibition rate against Amp^r E. coli, which is higher than the efficiency treated by PTT or PDT alone. The dual‐mode nanoparticles provide potential for treating pathogenic infections induced by resistant microorganisms in clinic.     

A Water‐Soluble,NIR‐Absorbing Quaterrylenediimide Chromophore for Photoacoustic Imaging and Efficient Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Precision phototheranostics, including photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy, requires stable photothermal agents. Developing such agents with high stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency (PTCE) remains a considerable challenge. Herein, we introduce a new photothermal agent based on water‐soluble quaterrylenediimide (QDI) that can self‐assemble into nanoparticles (QDI‐NPs) in aqueous solution. Incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the QDI core significantly enhances both physiological stability and biocompatibility of QDI‐NPs. The highly photostable QDI‐NPs offer advantages including intense absorption in the near‐infrared (NIR) and high PTCE of up to 64.7±4 %. This is higher than that of commercial indocyanine green (ICG). Their small size (ca. 10 nm) enables sustained retention in deep tumor sites and also proper clearance from the body. QDI‐NPs allow high‐resolution photoacoustic imaging and efficient 808 nm laser‐triggered photothermal therapy of cancer in vivo.