Synergistic Photodynamic–Photothermal Tumor Therapy Enabled by NIR-II AIE Nanoparticles

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is subject to the limited penetration effect of photosensitizers (PSs) and oxygen supply in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. In this work, two novel donor-acceptor structured Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) PSs, DTPTMM and DTPTMI, are presented. DTPTMI nanoparticles exhibited strong NIR-I absorption, generated Type-I reactive oxygen species, and achieved an exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency of 87.4%, which effectively eliminates tumors in vivo by using an 808 nm laser with clinically approved power. This fascinating efficacy demonstrated that synergistic photodynamic and photothermal therapy holds great promise in cancer treatment.