Boron-Doped AIE Nanomaterials With NIR-II Emission for FL/MR Dual-Modality Tumor Imaging

Boron-doped aggregation-induced emission (AIE) nanomaterials (B@AIE NPs) were successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal method for dual-modality fluorescence (FL) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The as-prepared B@AIE NPs exhibited a uniform core-shell structure, excellent dispersibility, and strong NIR-II fluorescence emission at 984 nm upon aggregation, attributed to restricted intramolecular motion. Moreover, the boron doping conferred remarkable T₁-weighted MR contrast capability, with a high longitudinal relaxivity (r₁) of 6.12 mm^{- 1}s^{- 1}. In vitro studies demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and efficient cellular uptake, with preferential localization in lysosomes. In vivo experiments in HeLa tumor-bearing mice revealed effective tumor accumulation via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, enabling high-contrast NIR-II fluorescence and MR imaging. These results highlight the great potential of B@AIE NPs as a promising metal-free nanoprobe for precise tumor diagnosis through FL/MR dual-modal imaging.