An intercalated covalent organic framework with donor-acceptor property for photothermal therapy

Based on the supramolecular assembly strategy, a donor-acceptor (D-A) covalent organic framework (COF) was developed by intercalating the electron-rich tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) between the layers of the COF which used 1,3,5-tris-(4-aminophenyl)triazine (TAPT) as an electron-deficient building unit. Due to the supramolecular D-A interactions, the obtained intercalated COF can efficiently convert luminous energy into thermal energy with a satisfying photothermal conversion efficiency up to 38.1 % for photothermal therapy. To further improve the biocompatibility and tumor targeting ability, the TTF-intercalated COF was coated with cancer cell membranes. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the intercalated COF with D-A properties could effectively suppress the growth of tumors upon laser irradiation. This work provided a paradigm to feasibly construct D-A COF with promising photothermal performance for cancer treatment.

Automated summary

Based on the supramolecular assembly strategy, a donor-acceptor (D-A) covalent organic framework (COF) was developed, which can efficiently convert luminous energy into thermal energy for photothermal therapy. The COF was intercalated with electron-rich tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and coated with cancer cell membranes to improve biocompatibility and tumor targeting ability. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that the intercalated COF could effectively suppress tumor growth upon laser irradiation.