Issue 15, 2025

Recent advances in gold nanoparticle-graphene hybrid nanoplatforms with visible to near-infrared response for photodynamic and photothermal therapy and bioimaging

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) are light-activated cancer treatments. PDT involves the administration of a photosensitizing agent, which is activated by light of a specific wavelength to generate reactive oxygen species. Alternatively, PTT involves the use of photothermal agents, which are materials that absorb light and convert it into heat. Gold nanoparticles are often used as photothermal agents owing to their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), a key optical property, which allows them to efficiently absorb light and convert it into heat. Graphene, which is a 2D material with extraordinary optical and physical properties and a large surface area, shows great promise both in PDT and PTT as an intrinsic nanoheater or a versatile platform for the immobilization of gold nanoparticles and other functional molecules, including photosensitizers. Moreover, graphene-based derivatives, i.e. graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), exhibit intrinsic optical/spectroscopic signals, which can be used in fluorescence, Raman and thermal imaging. By combining gold nanoparticles with graphene derivatives, a higher increase in temperature can be achieved under light irradiation owing to the synergistic effect of these two materials and the drug delivery efficiency and multimodal imaging techniques can be enhanced. This review provides insights into graphene-based nanoplatforms, focusing on multimodal therapy and imaging techniques. Furthermore, future perspectives in the field of graphene-based- and hybrid-nanoplatforms are suggested.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in gold nanoparticle-graphene hybrid nanoplatforms with visible to near-infrared response for photodynamic and photothermal therapy and bioimaging

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
30 Dec 2024
Accepted
23 Mar 2025
First published
15 Apr 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2025,15, 11902-11922

Recent advances in gold nanoparticle-graphene hybrid nanoplatforms with visible to near-infrared response for photodynamic and photothermal therapy and bioimaging

A. Holca, V. Cucuiet, S. Astilean, M. Lamy de la Chapelle and M. Focsan, RSC Adv., 2025, 15, 11902 DOI: 10.1039/D4RA09100K

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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