Efficient interfacial self-assembled MXene/Ag NPs film nanocarriers for SERS-traceable drug delivery

Combining the unique advantages of two-dimensional transition metal carbon/nitrogen compounds (MXene) and the excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance of noble metal materials, MXene/Ag NPs films were proposed as nanocarriers for SERS-traceable drug delivery. The films were prepared by two-step self-assembly on positively charged silicon wafers using virtue of the high evaporation of ethyl acetate, the Marangoni effect, and an oil/water/oil three-phase system. With 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) as the probe molecule, the SERS detection limit was 10^-8 M and had shown a good linear relationship in the range of 10^-8-10^-3 M. Simultaneously, the film had good uniformity, repeatability, and stability. When Ti₃C₂T_x/Ag NPs films were used as nanocarriers, the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto the surface through 4-MBA, and the tracking and monitoring were realized by SERS. The addition of glutathione (GSH) triggered the thiol exchange reaction, resulting in the shedding of 4-MBA from the surface of the film, which indirectly achieved the efficient release of DOX. Furthermore, the loading of DOX and the drug release effect triggered by GSH maintained a certain stability in serum, which provided a potential possibility for the subsequent loading and release of drugs by films with three-dimensional structures as scaffolds in biological therapy. Self-assembled MXene/Ag NPs film nanocarriers for SERS-traceable drug delivery and GSH-triggered high-efficiency drug release.