A scalable and low-cost strategy is developed to fabricate a novel CuS/SiO2-based nanotherapeutic agent for dual-model imaging-guided photothermal/photodynamic combined therapy. In this design, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with CuS bundled in the channel are obtained in aqueous solution via in situ growth route for the first time. Furthermore, to achieve a more efficient therapy, photosensitizer (complex Ir-2) and bovine serum albumin are sequentially assembled via layer-by-layer method. The as-prepared complex Ir-2 presents a remarkably high 1O2 generation (ΦΔ = 1.3) under light illumination to offer effective photodynamic cell killing, and MSN/CuS exhibits high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 31.7%) under illumination by 808 nm light to offer hyperthermia tumor ablation. In vitro and in vivo analyses show that the as-obtained nanotherapeutic agents exhibit excellent performance in tumor therapy even under irradiation with low power because of the high yield of 1O2 combined with the high photothermal conversion efficiency. Additionally, the nanotherapeutic agents are readily visualized in vivo via near-infrared fluorescence and thermal imaging. More importantly, based on the strategy of in situ growth and layer-by-layer assembly developed in this study, the development of other “all-in-one” multifunctional theranostic platform with high efficiency can be predictable.
Covellite copper sulfide nanocrystals(CuS NCs) are typical p-type semiconductors, showing strong optical absorption in the near-infrared(NIR) region thanks to their notable localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) properties. However, their LSPR properties and compositions are both highly susceptible to the external environment, which severely limits their practical applications. Until now, it remains a technical challenge to improve the structural and optical stability without sacrificing the LSPR performance of CuS NCs. Herein, to solve such a challenge, CuS@SiO 2 NPs with various silica shell thicknesses(CSNs- X nm) were synthesized in a well-controlled fashion via optimizing reverse microemulsion coating protocol. Compared with the pristine CuS NCs, the as-prepared CuS@SiO 2 NPs exhibited comparable LSPR properties but much higher photostability, enabling resistance to various harsh environments( e.g. , high-power irradiation, strong reduction, and oxidation environment). Impressively, when used in solar-driven interfacial water evaporation, all the CuS@SiO 2 NPs exhibited excellent water evaporation performance with efficiencies beyond 70%(as high as 75.2% for CSN-23 nm) after 20 continuous testing cycles. Evidently, this paper is greatly helpful in better designing and fabricating high-performance plasmonic materials for practical photoelectrical, photothermal, and photocatalytic applications.
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