Rechargeable Afterglow Superclusters for NIR-Excitable Repetitive Phototherapy.

Yue, Lulu; Liu, Yilin; Wang, Jing; Wu, Yihan; Liu, Jinliang; Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Yong; Zhu, Xiaohui · Nano Lett · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Afterglow luminescence has attracted increasing attention due to its prolonged emission, reduced autofluorescence, and minimized photodamage. However, persistent luminescence typically requires high-energy excitation (e.g., ultraviolet and visible light), which has limited tissue penetration. Herein, we have developed a one-pot surface segregation strategy to construct NIR-excitable afterglow superclusters (UCZG-SCs) by modularly assembling spinel-phase afterglow nanoparticles (Zn<sub>1.1</sub>Ga<sub>1.8</sub>Ge<sub>0.1</sub>O<sub>4</sub>:Cr<sup>3+</sup>) and hexagonal-phase upconversion nanoparticles (NaYF<sub>4</sub>:Yb,Tm@NaLuF<sub>4</sub>:Y). Since the proposed methodology does not require crystal lattice similarity, it enables fabrication of various NIR-excitable persistent superclusters with great flexibility in size, composition, and luminescent profiles. As a proof of concept, an injectable persistent implant is established by embedding UCZG-SCs in the oleosol of poly(lactic-<i>co</i>-glycolic acid)/<i>N</i>-methylpyrrolidone, which serves as an inner-body lamp to excite photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. With its excellent charging-recharging stability, a repetitive phototherapy under periodic 980 nm light illumination is accomplished, which significantly improves phototherapeutic efficiency and restrains tumor growth.

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