Tetraniline-Engineered Nickel Molecular Frameworks for Combinatorial NIR-Triggered Photothermal and Photodynamic...

Near-infrared (NIR)-responsive nanomaterials are of critical importance for biomedical applications owing to their superior tissue penetration depths. Herein, we present a rational design of NIR-responsive tetraniline (TANI)-engineered nickel coordination frameworks for multimodal cancer phototheranostic applications. These frameworks represent an advanced class of hybrid materials, combining the redox activity and electrical conductivity of oligomeric aniline along with the structural versatility of nickel-based frameworks or related coordination polymers. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first report of a nickel-tetraniline coordination framework (NTF) employing tetraniline as the organic linker, resulting in a porous and aqueous-dispersible platform with NIR absorption properties. Upon NIR light excitation in the first biological window (650-950 nm), NTFs demonstrate dual-mode theranostic functionality, simultaneously generating ROS and inducing potent photothermal and photodynamic therapeutic effects. The framework also displays measurable magnetic relaxivity and enables loading of fluorescent probes such as indocyanine green, highlighting its potential for theranostic and multimodal imaging applications. This scalable strategy offers a structurally versatile NIR-responsive combinatorial theranostic nanoplatform, holding significant promise for next-generation biomedical applications.