Photothermal Properties of Inorganic Nanomaterials as Therapeutic Agents for Cancer Thermotherapy

摘要

In recent years, gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have attracted significant attention as potent therapeutic agents for cancer thermotherapy. In this paper the photothermal properties of inorganic nanomaterials including porous silicon (PSi), titania (TiO_2) nanotubes (NTs), TiO_2 NPs, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Au NPs and SWCNTs have been systematically investigated. PSi shows by far the largest temperature rise (ΔT), TiO_2 NTs the second largest ΔT, and MWCNTs the smallest ΔT upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) laser. The high photothermal effect of PSi has been found to be attributed to the high absorbance and the high surface-to-volume ratio due to the numerous micropores in PSi In addition, the factors affecting the photothermal effects of nanomaterials have been discussed. Our results suggest that PSi and TiO_2 NTs are also potential therapeutic agents for cancer thermotherapy with excellent photothermal properties as well as high biocompatibility.