Alternating Interlayered Piezoelectric Self-Heterojunction Boosts Sono-Piezocatalytic Pyroptosis Oncotherapy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Charge carrier recombination limits piezocatalytic oncotherapy effectiveness.
• Developing efficient piezoelectric nanomaterials is crucial for advanced cancer treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer ultrathin oxygen vacancy- bismuth oxysilicate (O_v-BOS) nanosheets with self-heterojunctions.
• To enhance sono-piezocatalytic tumor therapy by improving charge separation and reducing carrier recombination.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of oxygen vacancy-engineered self-heterojunction bismuth oxysilicate nanosheets.
• Characterization of piezoelectric properties and electromechanical strain coefficient.
• Evaluation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and catalytic activities (peroxidase and catalase-like).
• Assessment of cancer cell pyroptosis induction via caspase-3 mediated gasdermin E-dependent pathway.

Main Results:

• O_v-BOS nanosheets exhibit an exceptional electromechanical strain coefficient (d*₃₃ = 203 pm/V).
• Oxygen vacancy engineering promotes effective charge separation and stratified storage, suppressing charge carrier recombination.
• O_v-BOS demonstrates superior ROS production and enhanced peroxidase/catalase-like activities compared to conventional catalysts.
• The material effectively induces cancer cell pyroptosis through a specific molecular pathway.

Conclusions:

• Engineered interlayer self-heterojunctions in O_v-BOS are highly effective for sono-piezocatalytic tumor therapy.
• This strategy offers a promising approach for designing high-performance piezoelectric nanocatalysts for biomedical applications.