Liu Qingyun

Ethylene glycol-mediated synthetic route for production of luminescent silicon nanorod as photodynamic therapy agent

One-dimensional silicon nanorod (SiNR) has attracted considerable interest because of its unique morphology and electronic-optical properties that render SiNRs suitable for a broad spectrum of applications, such as fieldeffect transistor, drug carrier, solar cell, nanomechanical device, and lithium-ion battery. However, studies aiming to identify a new synthetic method and apply SiNR in the biomedical field remain limited. This study is the first to use an ethylene glycol-mediated synthetic route to prepare SiNR as a multicolor fluorescent probe and a new photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent. The as-prepared SiNR demonstrates bright fluorescence, excellent storage and photostability, favorable biocompatibility, excitation-dependent emission, and measurable quantity of 1O2 (0.24). On the basis of these features, we demonstrate through in vitro studies that the SiNR can be utilized as a new nanophotosensitizer for fluorescence imaging- guided cancer treatment. Our work leads to a new production process for SiNRs that can be used not only as PDT agents for therapy of shallow tissue cancer but also as excellent, environment-friendly, and red light-induced photocatalysts for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in the future.摘要由于独特的形貌和光电性质, 一维硅纳米棒已被广泛应用于场效应晶体管、 药物载体、 太阳能电池、 纳米机械设备以及锂电池等领域. 然而, 开辟新型荧光硅纳米棒的制备方法并拓展其在生物医学研究中的应用是目前仍迫切需要探索的重要课题. 本文首次基于乙二醇介导法合成了具有良好光稳定性、 生物相容性、 强激发依赖的荧光和可测量的单线态氧量子产率(0.24)等优良特性的硅纳米棒. 这类新型硅纳米棒光敏剂在细胞水平同时实现了荧光成像和光动力学治疗, 表明其在光动力学治疗表层肿瘤领域具有一定应用前景.