Ultrasound-induced rapid electron movement on ZnO/MoS2 heterojunction for high performance tumor therapy

Conventional methods for treating tumors not only have limited therapeutic efficacy but also cause harm to patients, so there is an urgent need to develop a new therapeutic approach. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), with its strong tissue penetration and few side effects, is considered to be an effective means of treating tumors. However, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by a single piezoelectric material is often limited and does not achieve a complete tumor cure. In this paper, a ZnO/MoS 2 heterojunction is synthesized by hydrothermal immobilization of MoS 2 on ZnO to enhance the effect of SDT. Meanwhile, due to the electron exchange between ZnO and MoS 2 , a layer of ZnS is formed between ZnO and MoS 2 . Under ultrasound (US) irradiation, the ZnO/MoS 2 heterojunction can effectively eliminate breast cancer cells within 10 min. This is mainly due to the better piezoelectric catalytic ability of ZnO/MoS 2 than pure ZnO. Electrochemical and Uv–vis tests show that the formation of heterojunction accelerates the separation of electrons and holes and inhibits carrier complexation, so that more oxygen substrates will react with electron-hole pairs to generate ROS. This work provides a novel idea to take the treatment of tumors by enhancing piezoelectric catalysis through the construction of heterojunction interfaces.