1T-Phase Dirac Semimetal PdTe2 Nanoparticles for Efficient Photothermal Therapy in the NIR-II Biowindow
Jingjing Luo1, Mingjian Fan2, Liwei Xiong3
1International Collaborative Laboratory of 2D Materials for Optoelectronic Science & Technology, Engineering Technology Research Center for 2D Materials Information Functional Devices and Systems of Guangdong Province, Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, No. 3688 Nanhai Avenue, Shenzhen 518060, China.
Abstract:
1T-phase transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) nanomaterials are one type of emerging and promising near-infrared II (NIR-II) photothermal agents (PTAs) derived from their distinct metallic electronic structure, but it is still challenging to synthesize these nanomaterials. Herein, PdTe2 nanoparticles (PTNs) with a 1T crystal symmetry and around 50 nm in size are prepared by an electrochemical exfoliation method, and the corresponding photothermal performances irradiated under a NIR-II laser have been explored. The encapsulation of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-poly(ethylene glycol) (DSPE-PEG) endows PTNs with water solubility, enhanced photothermal stability, and high biocompatibility. Notably, PTN/DSPE-PEG displays a potent absorbance through the NIR-II zone and considerable photothermal conversion efficiency, which is up to 68% when irradiated with a 1060 nm laser. With these unique photothermal properties, excellent in vitro and in vivo tumor inhibition effects of PTN/DSPE-PEG have been achieved under the irradiation of a NIR-II (1060 nm) laser without visible toxicity to normal tissues, suggesting that it is an efficient NIR-II photothermal nanoagent.
