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A synergetic strategy of NIR-II squaraine dyes with ultrahigh photothermal conversion efficiency for photothermal therapy

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Abstract

Recent research on photothermal therapy (PTT) has sparked significant interest in the development of new organic photothermal agents (PTAs), ranging from single-molecule to aggregated levels. However, controlling aggregation pathways for PTAs with ultrahigh photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) remains a major challenge. Herein, a two-pronged approach utilizing “H-aggregation” and “intramolecular motion” was employed to enhance the PCE of an acceptor-substituted squaraine dye (NSQs). The C2v molecular symmetry of the NSQs, which possess a ground state dipole moment (μg), promotes H-dimeric aggregates through dipole-dipole counteraction. Peripheral triphenylethylene or diphenylamine groups were added to this H-dimeric nanoplatform. This was done to enhance intramolecular motions for heat generation and also to extend conjugation, which red-shifted the optical absorption and balanced the blue-shift induced by H-aggregation. With this technique, an organic PTA with NIR-II absorption was developed, and its nanoparticle achieved a remarkable PCE of 86.3% under 1,064 nm laser excitation. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations demonstrated the accelerated internal conversion process in NIR-II PTAs for rapid heat generation. The NSQs nanoparticles exhibit superior photothermal therapeutic properties for in vivo photoacoustic imaging-guided PTT, demonstrating the potential of bottom-up design to enable synergistic engineering strategies towards efficient phototheranostic agents.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22063005), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20212ACBA203012, 20224BAB214003, 20232BAB-203031), and the Interdisciplinary Innovation Fund of Natural Science, Nanchang University (9167-27060003-ZD2101, 9167-28220007-YB2113).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Advanced Study and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China

    Yigang Wang, Guomin Xia, Mingda Wang, Weihan Guo, Manman Tan, Leilei Si, Yang Yang & Hongming Wang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics and Dynamics Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China

    Junhui Wang

  3. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China

    Hua Wang

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  1. Yigang Wang
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  2. Guomin Xia
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  3. Junhui Wang
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Correspondence to Hongming Wang.

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Supporting information The supporting information is available online at chem.scichina.com and link.springer.com/journal/11426. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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11426_2023_1830_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

A Synergetic Strategy of NIR-II Squaraine Dyes with Ultrahigh Photothermal Conversion Efficiency for Photothermal Therapy

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Wang, Y., Xia, G., Wang, J. et al. A synergetic strategy of NIR-II squaraine dyes with ultrahigh photothermal conversion efficiency for photothermal therapy. Sci. China Chem. 67, 612–621 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-023-1830-0

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