Pyroelectric nanoplatform for NIR-II-triggered photothermal therapy with simultaneous pyroelectric dynamic therapy

Abstract

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has been attracting much attention because of its high efficiency and ease of use. Currently deployed PTT, however, shows two main deficiencies: limited penetration depth and interference from heat shock proteins (HSPs). Here we describe a specific application of a pyroelectric material, specifically SnSe-polyvinylpyrrolidone (SnSe-PVP) nanorods, for tumor photoacoustic imaging and PTT, accompanied by pyroelectric dynamic therapy (PEDT), utilizing near-infrared-II (NIR-II) light as the excitation trigger. Moreover, we used PEDT to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) from SnSe-PVP nanorods and to have the ROS attack HSPs and cancer cells during heating and cooling. This work revealed a high potential for the application of pyroelectric materials in biomedicine, especially for PTT with PEDT via NIR-II light stimulation.