Quanlan Xiao

Biodegradable black phosphorus-based nanospheres for in vivo photothermal cancer therapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) offers many advantages such as high efficiency and minimal invasiveness, but clinical adoption of PTT nanoagents have been stifled by unresolved concerns such as the biodegradability as well as long-term toxicity. Herein, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) loaded with black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) is processed by an emulsion method to produce biodegradable BPQDs/PLGA nanospheres. The hydrophobic PLGA not only isolates the interior BPQDs from oxygen and water to enhance the photothermal stability, but also control the degradation rate of the BPQDs. The in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that the BPQDs/PLGA nanospheres have inappreciable toxicity and good biocompatibility, and possess excellent PTT efficiency and tumour targeting ability as evidenced by highly efficient tumour ablation under near infrared (NIR) laser illumination. These BP-based nanospheres combine biodegradability and biocompatibility with high PTT efficiency, thus promising high clinical potential.

Surface Coordination of Black Phosphorus for Robust Air and Water Stability

A titanium sulfonate ligand is synthesized for surface coordination of black phosphorus (BP). In contrast to serious degradation observed from the bare BP, the BP after surface coordination exhibits excellent stability during dispersion in water and exposure to air for a long period of time, thereby significantly extending the lifetime and spurring broader application of BP.

Evaporative Self-Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Macroscopic 3D Plasmonic Superlattice Arrays.

Millimeter-scale 3D superlattice arrays composed of dense, regular, and vertically aligned gold nanorods are fabricated by evaporative self-assembly. The regular organization of the gold nanorods into a macroscopic superlattice enables the production of a plasmonic substrate with excellent sensitivity and reproducibility, as well as reliability in surface-enhanced Raman scattering. The work bridges the gap between nanoscale materials and macroscopic applications.

Metabolizable Ultrathin Bi2Se3 Nanosheets in Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-encapsulated Bi2 Se3 nanosheets with a thickness of 1.7 nm and diameter of 31.4 nm are prepared by a solution method. Possessing an extinction coefficient of 11.5 L g(-1) cm(-1) at 808 nm, the ultrathin Bi2 Se3 nanosheets boast a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 34.6% and excellent photoacoustic performance. After systemic administration, the Bi2 Se3 nanosheets with the proper size and surface properties accumulate passively in tumors enabling efficient photoacoustic imaging of the entire tumors to facilitate photothermal cancer therapy. In vivo biodistribution studies reveal that they are expelled from the body efficiently after 30 d. The ultrathin Bi2 Se3 nanosheets have large clinical potential as metabolizable near-infrared-triggered theranostic agents.

Black phosphorus: a two-dimensional reductant for in situ nanofabrication

The reducing capability of two-dimensional black phosphorus is demonstrated. The high reducing ability and unique two-dimensional morphology of black phosphorus not only facilitate in situ synthesis of Au nanoparticles and BP@Au composites, but also enable multiscale control of local reduction of GO to reduced GO (rGO). The novel two-dimensional reductant has large potential in various in situ nanofabrication applications.Black phosphorus: a two-dimensional reductantSynthesis of various nano-sized materials generally involves chemical reduction with an extrinsic reductant. Here Prof. Xuefeng Yu, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-workers have uncovered the reducing capability of black phosphorus (BP), a new 2D semiconductor material. It is demonstrated that the high reducing ability and unique 2D morphology of BP not only facilitate in situ synthesis of Au nanoparticles and BP@Au nanocomposites, but also enable multiscale control in local reduction of a graphene oxide to a reduced graphene oxide. The novel 2D reductant has large potential in various in situ nanofabrication applications and this study extends the application of 2D materials to new areas.

Photothermal Therapy: Metabolizable Ultrathin Bi2 Se3 Nanosheets in Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy (Small 30/2016).

Ultrathin Bi2 Se3 nanosheets are prepared by a solution method. As described on page 4136 by X.-F. Yu, Q.-Q. Wang, P. K. Chu, and co-workers, such ultrathin Bi2 Se3 nanosheets exhibit strong near infrared (NIR) light absorption, excellent photothermal and photoacoustic performance, enabling efficient imaging-guided photothermal therapy. Furthermore, these Bi2 Se3 nanosheets are well metabolized. These attractive properties render the Bi2 Se3 nanosheets promising as a NIR-triggered theranostic agents in cancer therapies.

Gold Nanorods: Evaporative Self‐Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Macroscopic 3D Plasmonic Superlattice Arrays (Adv. Mater. 13/2016)

On page 2511, X.-F. Yu, P. K. Chu, and co-workers demonstrate the successful fabrication of millimeter-scale three-dimensional superlattice arrays consisting of dense, regular, and vertically aligned gold nanorods by the evaporative self-assembly method. The excellent performance in surface-enhanced Raman scattering indicates applications in plasmonic substrates.