UCNP-Bi2Se3 Upconverting Nanohybrid for Upconversion Luminescence and CT Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

Non-invasive theranostics that integrate the advantages of multimodality imaging and therapeutics have great potential in the field of biomedicine. Herein, a new nanohybrid based on Bi2Se3-conjugated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) has been successfully developed through a simple in situ growth strategy. Under 808 nm near-infrared laser irradiation, the UCNPs can emit bright visible light, whereas the Bi2Se3 nanomaterial exhibits efficient photothermal conversion capacity. Moreover, the as-synthesized UCNP-Bi2Se3 nanohybrid exhibits efficient cell upconversion luminescence (UCL), reasonable CT imaging, and admirable cancer cell ablation capacity, further emphasizing the efficiency of this strategy for simultaneous UCL imaging and photothermal therapy. The designed theranostic strategy guided by dual-modal imaging endowed with real-time dynamic monitoring, remote controllability, and non-invasiveness makes the UCNP-Bi2Se3 nanohybrid an ideal candidate for non-invasive multimodal imaging-guided photothermal therapy for the precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer.