Photothermal Therapy Applications in Nanomaterials

Photothermal therapy harnesses the ability of engineered nanomaterials to convert near-infrared light into heat, targeting malignant cells or pathogens while sparing healthy tissue. Key advances have emerged in the design of two-dimensional nanomaterials, transition-metal dichalcogenides and noble-metal composites that combine high photothermal conversion efficiency, tunable surface chemistry and inherent imaging capability. The integration of targeting ligands, stimuli-responsive drug release and multimodal imaging has yielded versatile platforms for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment. Global research efforts have focused on improving biocompatibility, blood circulation time and tumour accumulation, as well as extending applications beyond oncology into antibacterial therapies. Surface modification and hybridisation with magnetic or plasmonic nanoparticles have enhanced targeting specificity, guided therapy via magnetic resonance or photoacoustic imaging, and enabled combined modalities such as chemo-photothermal and photothermal-photodynamic interventions. These developments underscore the broad significance of photothermal nanomaterials for precision medicine.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have advanced the design of transition-metal sulfide nanostructures with prolonged circulation and improved tumour uptake. One investigation developed flower-like molybdenum disulfide nanoflakes coated with polyethylene glycol, demonstrating high colloidal stability and efficient in vitro and in vivo tumour ablation under near-infrared irradiation. Optimisation of nanosheet morphology and surface chemistry achieved outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency and minimal off-target toxicity. In a complementary effort, novel ruthenium sulfide nanoclusters were engineered through sequential albumin and polyethylene glycol coatings, yielding a nanoplatform with enhanced blood residence time and selective tumour accumulation. These clusters exhibited robust photothermal conversion under near-infrared light and effective tumour ablation at low laser power, illustrating the potential of non-traditional transition-metal sulfides for clinical photothermal therapy.

Photothermal Therapy Applications in Nanomaterials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in photothermal therapy applications in nanomaterials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photothermal therapy: A treatment modality in which absorbed light energy is converted into heat to selectively destroy target cells.

Photothermal conversion efficiency: The proportion of incident light energy that a material transforms into thermal energy.

Near-infrared (NIR) light: Electromagnetic radiation in the 700–1,400 nm range, capable of deeper tissue penetration than visible light.

Nanoplatform: A nanoscale construct engineered to carry therapeutic or diagnostic agents with controlled targeting and release properties.

References

1. Flower-like PEGylated MoS2 nanoflakes for near-infrared photothermal cancer therapy. Scientific Reports (2015).
2. Long Blood Residence and Large Tumor Uptake of Ruthenium Sulfide Nanoclusters for Highly Efficient Cancer Photothermal Therapy. Scientific Reports (2017).
3. Targeted co-delivery of curcumin and erlotinib by MoS2 nanosheets for the combination of synergetic chemotherapy and photothermal therapy of lung cancer. Journal of Nanobiotechnology (2023).
4. Synthesis and Optimization of MoS2@Fe3O4‐ICG/Pt(IV) Nanoflowers for MR/IR/PA Bioimaging and Combined PTT/PDT/Chemotherapy Triggered by 808 nm Laser. Advanced Science (2017).
5. Tungsten disulfide-based nanocomposites for photothermal therapy. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology (2019).