Silicon nanowire-based multifunctional platform for chemo-photothermal synergistic cancer therapy

Combination therapies for cancer have been promising strategies to reverse multidrug resistance, improve treatment efficiency, and minimize side effects. Herein, a new type of multifunctional silicon nanowire (MFSiNW)-based system, i.e., iron oxide nanoparticle and gold nanoparticle decorated silicon nanowires (IONPs@AuNPs@SiNWs), is prepared through a facile synthetic strategy. The resultant nanohybrids could load therapeutic drug molecules (e.g., doxorubicin, DOX) with high drug loading capacity (2000 mg g^-1), and be simultaneously responsive to pH/NIR (near-infrared) light/magnetism, thus enabling high-efficacy synergistic treatment of drug-resistant cancer cells. The current work provides the pioneering demonstration of silicon nanomaterial-based combinational cancer treatment with high therapeutic efficiency.