Persistent luminescence resonance energy transfer (PLRET)-engineered ZGO@IR-820 with NIR-II afterglow emission and phototherapeutic properties

Near-infrared II (NIR-II) luminescence imaging, with its significant advantages of deep tissue penetration and high spatial resolution, has become a promising technology for cancer diagnosis. The integration of NIR-II imaging with multifunctional therapeutic modalities has been widely explored in biomedicine, offering valuable development opportunities. Persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) are of great interest in biomedical applications due to their ability to emit afterglow without the need for in situ excitation. However, single PLNPs exhibit limited performance in processes related to photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), and there remains a lack of PLNPs-based multifunctional nanocomposites that simultaneously possess NIR-II afterglow luminescence, as well as PDT, PTT and photocatalytic therapy (PCT) properties. Herein, we report a novel multifunctional nanocomposite, ZGO@IR-820, which is composed of PLNPs (ZnGa 1.97 O 4 :Cr 0.01 ,Bi 0.02 , ZGO) and the near-infrared fluorescent dye IR-820. This nanocomposite not only exhibits NIR-II afterglow emission, but also integrates PDT, PTT and PCT properties. The NIR-II afterglow performance is achieved through the persistent luminescence resonance energy transfer between the PLNPs and IR-820. This multifunctional design expands the photophysical and photochemical properties of PLNPs-based nanocomposites, providing an innovative material design strategy for the development of precise disease diagnosis and efficient therapy.