Near-infrared photothermal performance of a metal-organic framework-based composite

The construction of heterostructures is a universal method to hinder the radiative recombination of hot electrons and hot holes, which can effectively enhance the photothermal effect of semiconductors. In this work, a one-pot method was employed to prepare a composite named Bi₂Se₃@ZIF-8 NPs, which incredibly increased the photothermal conversion efficiency of Bi₂Se₃ NPs. The temperature elevation of Bi₂Se₃@ZIF-8 NPs was almost double that of the Bi₂Se₃ NPs; specifically, the temperature of the irradiated Bi₂Se₃@ZIF-8 NPs was strikingly increased to 130 °C within 6 seconds, and finally stabilized at 165 °C. Furthermore, the photothermal conversion ability was maintained over multiple irradiation cycles, which endows this composite with great potential to be an excellent photothermal agent.