Xuechao Cai

A Hollow-Structured CuS@Cu2S@Au Nanohybrid: Synergistically Enhanced Photothermal Efficiency and Photoswitchable Targeting Effect for Cancer Theranostics

It is of great importance in drug delivery to fabricate multifunctional nanocarriers with intelligent targeting properties, for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Herein, hollow-structured CuS@Cu2 S@Au nanoshell/satellite nanoparticles are designed and synthesized for enhanced photothermal therapy and photoswitchable targeting theranostics. The remarkably improved photothermal conversion efficiency of CuS@Cu2 S@Au under 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation can be explained by the reduced bandgap and more circuit paths for electron transitions for CuS and Cu2 S modified with Au nanoparticles, as calculated by the Vienna ab initio simulation package, based on density functional theory. By modification of thermal-isomerization RGD targeting molecules and thermally sensitive copolymer on the surface of nanoparticles, the transition of the shielded/unshielded mode of RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) targeting molecules and shrinking of the thermally sensitive polymer by NIR photoactivation can realize a photoswitchable targeting effect. After loading an anticancer drug doxorubicin in the cavity of CuS@Cu2 S@Au, the antitumor therapy efficacy is greatly enhanced by combining chemo- and photothermal therapy. The reported nanohybrid can also act as a photoacoustic imaging agent and an NIR thermal imaging agent for real-time imaging, which provides a versatile platform for multifunctional theranostics and stimuli-responsive targeted cancer therapy.

Effect of modulators on size and shape-controlled growth of highly uniform In–NDC–MOF particles

Highly uniform micron-sized ellipsoid or rod-like In–NDC–MOF particles were prepared by a modified solvothermal method in the presence of different modulators. These In–NDC–MOF particles exhibited relatively high gas adsorption properties for C2H6 and C3H8. The effect of modulators on the formation of these various size and shaped products was briefly discussed.

One-step structure-directing approach to Ce3+-doped CaS luminescent micro-nanocrystals

A one-step surfactant–ligand co-assisted solvothermal technique was proposed for the preparation of CaS-based luminescent materials with ethylenediamine as solvent, and acetylacetone, 1-dodecanethiol and polyvinylpyrrolidone as capping agents. The morphologies of the obtained particles can be adjusted from an octahedron to a hexagonal prism or a cube by changing the solvent volume ratios of ethylenediamine and different capping agent(s), and the mean sizes of the crystals can be changed in a relatively wide range from tens of nanometers to a few micrometers. The growth process and dynamic mechanism were discussed. A series of CaS:xCe3+ nanocrystals were prepared and a small red shift of emission positions was observed from green to yellowish-green with increasing Ce3+ concentration.

Structure directing agents induced morphology evolution and phase transition from indium-based rho- to sod-ZMOF

In this report, indium-based rho- and sod-ZMOFs with different morphologies and sizes were prepared. Simultaneous morphology evolution and phase transformation from porous rho- to non-porous sod-ZMOFs were reported for the first time by simply varying the concentration of structure directing agents (SDAs).

Interfacial synthesized Fe-soc-MOF nanoparticles combined with ICG for photothermal/photodynamic therapy

Recently, fabrication of nanoscale MOFs (NMOFs) has attracted great attention for biomedical applications. NMOFs not only maintain the structural diversity and physicochemical properties of bulk MOFs, but also possess suitable dimensions, making them potential nanocarriers for imaging agents and drug molecules. In this work, highly monodispersed Fe-soc-MOF nanoparticles (about 100 nm) were fabricated through the liquid-solid-solution (LSS) method. Indocyanine green (ICG) was conjugated to the surface-modified Fe-soc-MOF to construct a multifunctional theranostic platform. The Fe-soc-MOF@PEG-NH2-ICG nanoparticles (FPINs) were tested for photothermal therapy (PTT)/photodynamic therapy (PDT) both in vitro and in vivo. Due to their low toxicity, good biocompatibility and excellent photothermal/photodynamic effect, the as-synthesized FPINs could be used to inhibit and kill cancer cells efficiently under the 808 nm laser irradiation.