Issue 36, 2023

Hydrogen-bonded organic framework-stabilized charge transfer cocrystals for NIR-II photothermal cancer therapy

Abstract

Charge-transfer (CT) cocrystals consisting of an electron donor and acceptor have gained attention for designing photothermal (PT) conversion materials with potential for biomedical and therapeutic use. However, the applicability of CT cocrystals is limited by their low stability and aqueous dispersity in biological settings. In this study, we present the self-assembly of CT cocrystals within hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), which not only allows for the dispersion and stabilization of cocrystals in aqueous solution but also promotes the CT interaction within the confined space of HOFs for photothermal conversion. We demonstrate that the CT interaction-driven self-assembly of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) with PFC-1 HOFs results in the formation of cocrystal-encapsulated TQC@PFC-1 while retaining the crystalline structure of the cocrystal and PFC-1. TQC@PFC-1, in particular, exhibits significant absorption in the second near-infrared region (NIR-II) and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency, as high as 32%. Cellular delivery studies show that TQC@PFC-1 can be internalized in different types of cancer cells, leading to an effective NIR-II photothermal therapy effect both in cultured cells and in vivo. We anticipate that the strategy of self-assembly and stabilization of CT cocrystals in nanoscale HOFs opens the path for tuning their photophysical properties and interfacing cocrystals with biological settings for photothermal therapeutic applications.

Graphical abstract: Hydrogen-bonded organic framework-stabilized charge transfer cocrystals for NIR-II photothermal cancer therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Jūn. 2023
Accepted
10 Aug. 2023
First published
12 Aug. 2023

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 8649-8656

Hydrogen-bonded organic framework-stabilized charge transfer cocrystals for NIR-II photothermal cancer therapy

J. Tang, L. Shao, J. Liu, Q. Zheng, X. Song, L. Yi and M. Wang, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 8649 DOI: 10.1039/D3TB01475D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements