Kundu Sangita, Yuan Hao, Antoine Rodolphe
Institut Lumière Matière, University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622 Lyon, France.
J Phys Chem Lett. 2025 Aug 21;16(33):8480-8485. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c01751. Epub 2025 Aug 11.
Non-invasive photothermal therapy (PTT) using nanoscale materials is a promising therapeutic method for cancer treatment, where real-time temperature monitoring is critical for clinical efficacy. This study employs atomically precise Au nanoclusters (NCs) that exhibit photothermal activities under near-infrared (NIR) excitation and systematically investigates how the light-to-heat conversion efficiency can be modulated by changing the surface ligands of the Au NCs. The photothermal efficiency of these Au NCs can be correlated to their photoluminescence (PL) lifetime, which is strongly influenced by the surface-capping ligands. Remarkably, by rigidifying the surface ligands within the protein scaffold, photothermal conversion efficiency of the NCs is further strikingly enhanced. Furthermore, we highlight the bimodal role of Au NCs as photothermal agents and luminescent lifetime-based nanothermometer. Indeed, Au NCs exhibit a linear correlation between the lifetime and temperature, enabling real-time monitoring of both local (in the NCs) and global (in the solutions) temperature changes during PTT.
使用纳米级材料的非侵入性光热疗法（PTT）是一种很有前景的癌症治疗方法，其中实时温度监测对临床疗效至关重要。本研究采用在近红外（NIR）激发下表现出光热活性的原子精确金纳米团簇（NCs），并系统地研究了如何通过改变金纳米团簇的表面配体来调节光热转换效率。这些金纳米团簇的光热效率与其光致发光（PL）寿命相关，而光致发光寿命受表面封端配体的强烈影响。值得注意的是，通过在蛋白质支架内使表面配体刚性化，纳米团簇的光热转换效率进一步显著提高。此外，我们强调了金纳米团簇作为光热剂和基于发光寿命的纳米温度计的双重作用。实际上，金纳米团簇在寿命和温度之间呈现线性关系，能够在光热疗法期间实时监测局部（在纳米团簇内）和全局（在溶液中）的温度变化。
