Boosting Non-Radiative Decay to Do Useful Work: Development of a Multi-Modality Theranostic System from an AIEgen

Dong Wang*, Michelle M.S. Lee, Wenhan Xu, Guogang Shan, Xiaoyan Zheng, Ryan T.K. Kwok, Jacky W.Y. Lam, Xianglong Hu, Ben Zhong Tang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

166 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The efficient utilization of energy dissipating from non-radiative excited-state decay of fluorophores was only rarely reported. Herein, we demonstrate how to boost the energy generation of non-radiative decay and use it for cancer theranostics. A novel compound (TFM) was synthesized which possesses a rotor-like twisted structure, strong absorption in the far red/near-infrared region, and it shows aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the TFM aggregate is in an amorphous form consisting of disordered molecules in a loose packing state, which allows efficient intramolecular motions, and consequently elevates energy dissipation from the pathway of thermal deactivation. These intrinsic features enable TFM nanoparticles (NPs) to display a high photothermal conversion efficiency (51.2 %), an excellent photoacoustic (PA) effect, and effective reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In vivo evaluation shows that the TFM NPs are excellent candidates for PA imaging-guided phototherapy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5628-5632
Number of pages5
JournalAngewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume58
Issue number17
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Apr 2019

Keywords

  • aggregation-induced emission
  • molecular dynamics simulations
  • multi-modality theranostics
  • nonradiative decay

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