Near-infrared Light Illumination Research Articles

Electrospun photothermal tellurium nanosheet-loaded polycaprolactone/gelatin nanofibers to promote wound healing

Low-cost and biodegradable photothermal wound dressings with remarkable therapeutic effects are highly desirable for next-generation wound healing. Herein, we report an efficient photothermal wound dressing mat made of tellurium nanosheet (TeNS)-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone/gelatin (PCL/GEL) nanofibers. The TeNS-loaded PCL/GEL nanofibrous architectures showed antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus of 87.68% and 94.57%, respectively. Under near-infrared (NIR) light illumination, they can facilitate cell proliferation as revealed by in vitro scratch assay. The results from in vivo skin wounds combined with tissue staining experiments further showed that the TeNS-loaded dressing could substantially promote wound healing under photothermal conditions. Using immunohistochemical analysis, we found that the TeNS-loaded PCL/GEL nanofibers [Formula: see text] NIR group have a high expression of specific antigens in epidermal growth factor (EGF) ([Formula: see text]) and endothelial cell adhesion molecule-31 (CD31, [Formula: see text]), verifying that the nanofibrous mat can stimulate EGF generation and microvessel proliferation. Furthermore, the PCL/GEL/Te[Formula: see text]NIR group has the lowest expression in endothelial cell adhesion molecule-68 (CD68, [Formula: see text]), suggesting that the nanofibrous mats have a high anti-inflammatory efficiency. Our work sheds light on the development of novel nonanti-inflammatory wound dressings via photothermal sterilization and the promotion of cell growth using two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets.

Large area MoSe2 and MoSe2/Bi2Se3 films on sapphire (0001) for near-infrared photodetection

The fabrication of heterojunction-based photodetectors (PDs) is well known for the enhancement of PDs performances, tunable nature of photoconductivity, and broadband application. Herein, the PDs based on MoSe2 and MoSe2/Bi2Se3 heterojunction on sapphire (0001) substrates were deposited using a r.f. magnetron sputtering system. The high-resolution x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy characterizations disclosed the growth of the 2-H phase of MoSe2 and the rhombohedral phase of Bi2Se3 thin films on sapphire (0001). The chemical and electronic states of deposited films were studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and revealed the stoichiometry growth of MoSe2. We have fabricated metal-semiconductor–metal type PD devices on MoSe2 and MoSe2/Bi2Se3 heterojunction and the photo-response measurements were performed at external voltages of 0.1–5 V under near-infrared (1064 nm) light illumination. The bare MoSe2 PD device shows positive photoconductivity behavior whereas MoSe2/Bi2Se3 heterojunction PD exhibits negative photoconductivity. It was found that the responsivity of MoSe2 and MoSe2/Bi2Se3 heterojunction PDs is ~ 1.39 A W−1 and ~ 5.7 A W−1, respectively. The enhancement of photoresponse of MoSe2/Bi2Se3 PD nearly four-fold compared to bare MoSe2 PD shows the importance of heterojunction structures for futuristics optoelectronic applications.

4D Printed Non-Euclidean-Plate Jellyfish Inspired Soft Robot in Diverse Organic Solvents.

Soft robots have the potential to assist and complement human exploration of extreme and harsh environments (i.e., organic solvents). However, soft robots with stable performance in diverse organic solvents are not developed yet. In the current research, a non-Euclidean-plate under-liquid soft robot inspired by jellyfish based on phototropic liquid crystal elastomers is fabricated via a 4D-programmable strategy. Specifically, the robot employs a 3D-printed non-Euclidean-plate, designed with Archimedean orientation, which undergoes autonomous deformation to release internal stress when immersed in organic solvents. With the assistance of near-infrared light illumination, the organic solvent inside the robot vaporizes and generates propulsion in the form of bubble streams. The developed NEP-Jelly-inspired soft robot can swim with a high degree of freedom in various organic solvents, for example, N, N-dimethylformamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, and trichloromethane, which is not reported before. Besides bionic jellyfish, various aquatic invertebrate-inspired soft robots can potentially be prepared via a similar 4D-programmable strategy.

In situ synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet/Ti3C2Tx MXene/TiO2 Z-scheme heterojunctions boosting charge transfer for full-spectrum driven photocatalytic sterilization

The development of a full-spectrum responsive photocatalytic germicide with excellent charge separation efficiency to harvest high antimicrobial efficacy is a key goal yet a challenging conundrum. Herein, graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet (PCNS)/Ti3C2Tx MXene/TiO2 (PMT) Z-scheme heterojunctions with robust interface contact were crafted by in situ interfacial engineering. The strong internal electrical field (IEF) from PCNS to TiO2, evinced by the Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) characterization, can obtain high charge separation efficiency with 73.99%, compared to Schottky junction PCNS/Ti3C2Tx (PM, 32.88%) and PCNS (17.70%). The Ti3C2Tx component can not only serve as a transfer pathway to accelerate the recombination of photoexcited electrons of TiO2 and holes of PCNS under the Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) light irradiation, but also replenish the photogenic electron concentrations to semiconductors in the near-infrared (NIR) light illumination. Meanwhile, the increased temperature due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) can further boost the electronic activity to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Taken together, the PMT performs a high disinfection efficiency up to 99.40% under full solar spectrum illumination, 3.88 and 9.75 times higher than PCNS and TiO2, respectively, surpassing many reported Z-scheme heterojunctions. This work offers guidance for the design of Z-scheme heterojunction with the implanting of plasmons to secure excellent full-spectrum responsive photocatalytic sterilization performance.

Hollow cubic CuSe@CdS with tunable size for plasmon-induced Vis-NIR driven photocatalytic properties.

The rational design of the dimension and geometry of a plasmonic semiconductor cocatalyst is vitally important for efficient utilization of near-infrared (NIR) light and superior photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Herein, hollow cubic CuSe@CdS composites with different sizes and strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) were prepared by selenizing size-tunable Cu2O templates and loading CdS nanoparticles. The size of hollow cubic CuSe can affect the surface area and the conduction band potential through the size effect, regulating the carrier behavior of the CuSe@CdS heterojunction. The CuSe@CdS composites show enhanced and wide absorption in the full spectrum due to the LSPR effect of CuSe. Meanwhile, the composites show excellent photocatalytic hydrogen capacity in the full spectrum in a 0.35 M Na2S/0.25 M Na2SO3 sacrificial reagent solution. The best hydrogen production rate of CSCE2 is 1.518 mmol g-1 h-1 (5.54 times higher than that of CdS) under Vis light (780 > λ > 420 nm) irradiation and 0.28 mmol g-1 h-1 under NIR light (λ > 780 nm) illumination. Interestingly, the photocatalytic activity for H2 under Vis-NIR light (λ > 420 nm) is about 3 times (up to 4.45 mmol g-1 h-1) higher than that without NIR light assistance, due to the photothermal effect. Various analyses and DFT calculations demonstrate that the p-n heterojunction formed in the composites consists of p-type CuSe and n-type CdS, which achieves efficient carrier transfer and separation under the synergistic effect of the size effect and the photothermal effect. In addition, the expansion of the photocatalytic performance to the NIR range is mainly due to the "hot-electron" injection mechanism induced by the LSPR effect of CuSe. The reasonable design coupled with the plasmonic materials offers a new path to achieving the highly efficient conversion of solar energy to hydrogen energy.

Dual-propelled polydopamine@SiO2@Pt micromotor with asymmetrical yolk-mesoporous shell for the enhanced catalytic reduction

Micro/nanomotors exhibit unique self-propulsion capabilities at the micro/nanoscale, offering significant potential as nanocatalysts in the field of catalysis by enhancing the contact probability between catalytic active sites and reactant molecules. Herein, a dual-propelled polydopamine (PDA)@SiO2@Pt micromotor with asymmetric yolk-mesoporous shell nanostructure is developed to enhance the catalytic reduction performance. The synthesis of PDA@SiO2@Pt micromotor involves a two-step process. First, the mesoporous silica is grown on the surface of the thermally swelled PDA sphere through heterogeneous interface self-assembly. Subsequently, the Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs) are selectively loaded onto the PDA yolk. The asymmetric PDA yolk demonstrates outstanding photothermal conversion abilities, generating local thermal gradients under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, which propels the micromotor through thermophoresis. Simultaneously, the Pt NPs on PDA yolk catalyze the decomposition of H2O2 decomposition, generating O2 gradient that drives the micromotor through self-diffusiophoresis. The motion behavior of PDA@SiO2@Pt micromotor can be controlled through adjusting the NIR light illumination power density or varying concentration of H2O2. Moreover, the mesostructured architecture of PDA@SiO2@Pt micromotor can be employed to achieve the efficient catalytic reduction, achieving up to 93 % conversion of methylene blue (MB) within 5 min due to the combined effects of photothermal and particle motion properties induced by NIR light. The PDA@SiO2@Pt micromotor exhibits immense potential for future applications in complex catalytic systems using multi-driven micro/nanomotors.

Artificial Photosynthesis of Ammonia by Semiconducting Plasmonic NIR Energy

Artificial photosynthesis of ammonia is one of the most promising paths toward carbon neutrality and sustainability. However, nitrogen photo-fixation to produce ammonia in ultrapure water is still challenging due to the thermodynamic and kinetic requirements of the nitrogen reduction reaction. An ideal photocatalyst is expected to have energetic electrons to drive the nitrogen reduction reaction, as well as enough affinity for chemisorption and activation of nitrogen molecules at the surface. Compared with plasmonic metal catalysts, plasmonic semiconducting nanomaterials are excellent candidates due to the tunable plasmon absorption over a wide range of spectra allowing efficient utilization of solar energy, abundant hot carriers that may overcome the interfacial energy barriers, and low-cost. The localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) effects can also promote charge separation and interfacial transfer. Here, we report metal oxides with tunable oxygen concentration and copper chalcogenides with tunable copper deficiency for photocatalytic nitrogen reduction in ultrapure water. Efficient ammonia production has been achieved under near-infrared (NIR) light illumination. We have demonstrated that for plasmonic semiconducting photocatalysts, the performance is not only dictated by the defects, their negative effects in trapping carriers are also important. Figure 1

Switching Chirality in Arrays of Shape-Reconfigurable Spindle Microparticles.

The giant circular photo-galvanic effect is realized in chiral metals when illuminated by circularly polarized light. However, the structure itself is not switchable nor is the crystal chirality in the adjacent chiral domains. Here spindle-shaped liquid crystalline elastomer microparticles that can switch from prolate to spherical to oblate reversibly upon heating above the nematic to isotropic transition temperature are synthesized. When arranged in a honeycomb lattice, the continuous shape change of the microparticles leads to lattice reconfiguration, from a right-handed chiral state to an achiral one, then to a left-handed chiral state, without breaking the translational symmetry. Accordingly, the sign of rotation of the polarized light passing through the lattices changes as measured by time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. Further, it can locally alter the chirality in the adjacent domains using near-infrared light illumination. The reconfigurable chiral microarrays will allow us to explore non-trivial symmetry-protected transport modes of topological lattices at the light-matter interface. Specifically, the ability to controllably create chiral states at the boundary of the achiral/chiral domains will lead to rich structures emerging from the interplay of symmetry and topology.

A Photo-Activated Thermoelectric Catalyst for Ferroptosis-/Pyroptosis-Boosted Tumor Nanotherapy.

Phototherapy including photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has gradually come into the limelight for oncological treatment due to its noninvasiveness, high specificity, and low side effects. However, upregulated heat-shock proteins (HSPs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-defensing system such as glutathione (GSH) or MutT homolog 1 (MTH1) protein in tumor microenvironment counteract the efficiency of single-modality therapy either PTT or PDT. Herein, the well-defined bismuth telluride nanoplates (Bi2 Te3 NPs) are engineered with a high-performance photo-thermo-electro-catalytic effect for tumor-synergistic treatment. Upon near-infrared light illumination, Bi2 Te3 NPs induce a significant temperature elevation for PTT, which effectively inhibits MTH1 expression. Especially, heating and cooling alteration caused temperature variations result in electron-hole separation for ROS generation, which not only damages HSPs to reduce the thermotolerance for enhance PTT, but also arouses tumor cell pyroptosis. Additionally, Bi2 Te3 NPs conspicuously reduce GSH, further improving ROS level and leading to decrease glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) activity, which triggers tumor cell ferroptosis. Due to the photo-thermo-electro-catalytic synergistic therapy, Bi2 Te3 NPs are gifted with impressive tumor suppression on both ectopic and orthotopic ocular tumor models. This work highlights a high-performance multifunctional energy-conversion nanoplatform for reshaping tumor microenvironment to boost the tumor-therapeutic efficacy of phototherapy.

Near-infrared photodynamic antibacterial enhanced superhydrophobic electrospun membrane surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted great attention as effective antimicrobial platforms due to the superb repellency against various microbial biofouling. However, due to the lack of intrinsic antimicrobial activity, some bacteria still have the opportunity to adhere and survive on superhydrophobic surfaces, inevitably causing serious bacterial contamination. Herein, a poly(vinylidene) fluoride (PVDF) based nanocomposite membrane with both superhydrophobic property and near-infrared (NIR) light triggered photodynamic antibacterial activity has been prepared by a facile electrospinning method. Among those, the silicon dioxide nano-scale particles were introduced in the membrane to increase the roughness of the electrospun fibres, while the zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPC) as the NIR photosensitizer was also involved. Owing to the stable Cassie-Baxter model superhydrophobic properties, the resultant membrane demonstrated strong bacterial repellent performances for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (~8.9 % reduction for S. aureus and ~9.4 % for E. coli). After being exposed to NIR light illumination (808 nm, 2.0 mW) for 10 min, the membrane surface showed further enhanced antimicrobial efficiency and no surviving bacteria were observed, which is extremely difficult to achieve by relying on either superhydrophobic repellency or NIR photodynamic sterilization alone. Furthermore, this nanocomposite membrane displays no detectable cytotoxicity to L929 cells, even suffered from NIR light irradiation, and the surface also shows no significant activation on red blood cells as well as good liquid-repellency against whole blood adhesion. These results conclusively show that the nanocomposite membranes exhibit great potential applications in a wide range of antimicrobial-related fields.

Metallic AgInS2 nanocrystals with sulfur vacancies boost atmospheric CO2 photoreduction under near-infrared light illumination

Unraveling the function of vacancy engineering in influencing the intrinsic CO2 photoreduction with low photon energy directly from air remains a significant challenge. Here, a metallic photocatalyst, ultrafine AgInS2 nanocrystals with sulfur vacancies (VS-AgInS2) is designed to exhibit superior atmospheric CO2 reduction performance under near-infrared (NIR) light. Theoretical calculations reveal that the presence of sulfur vacancies and metallic characteristics result in extended spectrum absorption to the NIR region and efficient separation of charge carriers. As evidenced by In situ Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) experiment and theoretical calculations, the unique properties of charge delocalization around the vacancy-induced dual sites at AgInS2 nanocrystals contribute to COOH* intermediates for CO production while simultaneously inhibiting the formation of CHO* intermediates. Consequently, the metallic VS-AgInS2 nanocrystals demonstrate nearly 100% selective CO production with a rate of 8.04 μmol g−1 h−1 under NIR irradiation, even directly from atmospheric CO2 in the air.

Ultrathin Two-Dimensional BiOCl-Bi2 S3 -Cu2 S Ternary Heterostructures with Enhanced LSPR effect for NIR Photonic Bacterial Disinfection.

Photonic disinfection, particularly near-infrared (NIR) light triggered antibacterial, has emerged as a highly promising solution for combating pathogenic microbes due to its spatiotemporal operability, safety, and low cost of apparatus. However, it remains challenging to construct NIR-responsive antibacterial agents with high light-converting efficacy and elucidate synergistic mechanisms. In this work, ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) BiOCl-Bi2 S3 -Cu2 S ternary heterostructures that can efficiently kill drug-resistant bacteria were synthesized by doping 0D Bi2 S3 and Cu2 S nanoparticles in the 2D BiOCl nanosheets via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. Notably, the incorporation of Cu2 S nanoparticles bestows strong NIR light-harvesting capability to the composite nanosheets due to their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Upon NIR light illumination, the BiOCl-Bi2 S3 -Cu2 S nanosheets can achieve enhanced photonic hyperthermia and reaction oxygen species (ROS) generation, serving as single light-activated bi-functional photothermal/photodynamic therapeutics. High-speed hot electrons and large local electronic fields caused by LSPR might play an important role in thermal vibrations and effective carrier separations, respectively. Benefiting from the unique ternary heterostructures, both the photothermal conversion and ROS generation efficacy of BiOCl-Bi2 S3 -Cu2 S nanosheets are significantly improved compared to the binary BiOCl-Cu2 S or BiOCl-Bi2 S3 nanosheets. Accordingly, the ternary composite nanosheets can effectively kill bacteria via the NIR-driven photonic disinfection mechanism. This work presents a new type of 2D composite nanosheets with ternary heterostructures for NIR photonic disinfection.

High-Performance Near-Infrared Photodetector Based on PbS Colloidal Quantum Dots/ZnO-Nanowires Hybrid Nanostructures.

Quantum dots have found significant applications in photoelectric detectors due to their unique electronic and optical properties, such as tunable bandgap. Recently, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted much interest because of the ease of controlling the dot size and low production cost. In this paper, a high-performance ZnO/PbS heterojunction photodetector was fabricated by spin-coating PbS CQDs onto the surface of a hydrothermally grown vertical array of ZnO nanowires (NWs) on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. Under 940 nm near-infrared light illumination, the device demonstrated a responsivity and detectivity of ~3.9 × 104 A/W and ~9.4 × 1013 Jones, respectively. The excellent performances and low cost of this nanocomposite-based photodetector show that it has the potential for widespread applications ranging from medical diagnosis to environmental monitoring.

Photocatalytic water oxidation over LaWO0.6N2.4 mesoporous single crystals under visible and near-infrared light illumination

Narrow-bandgap perovskite oxynitrides emerge as a promising class of inorganic photocatalysts to store solar energy into chemical fuels. However, conventional synthetic routes generally introduce a high defect concentration to these...

A Pd-based plasmonic photocatalyst for nitrogen fixation through an antenna-reactor mechanism.

Plasmonic metal nanocrystals (e.g., Au, Ag, and Cu) hold great promise for driving photocatalytic reactions, but little is known about the plasmonic properties of Pd nanocrystals. Herein, we constructed a plasmonic Pd/Ru antenna-reactor photocatalyst through the controllable growth of a Ru nanoarray 'reactor' on a Pd nano-octahedron 'antenna' and demonstrated a plasmonic Pd-driven N2 photofixation process. The plasmonic properties of Pd nano-octahedrons were verified using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and refractive index sensitivity tests in water-glycerol mixtures. Notably, the constructed plasmonic antenna-reactor nanostructures exhibited superior photocatalytic activities during N2 photofixation, with a maximum ammonia production rate of 117.5 ± 15.0 μmol g-1 h-1 under visible and near-infrared (NIR) light illumination. The mechanism can be attributed to the ability of the plasmonic Pd nanoantennas to harvest light to generate abundant hot electrons and the Ru nanoreactors to provide active sites for adsorption and activation of N2. This work paves the way for the development of Pd-based plasmonic photocatalysts for efficient N2 photofixation and sheds new light on the optimal design and construction of antenna-reactor nanostructures.

Identification of the Active Sites on Metallic MoO2-x Nano-Sea-Urchin for Atmospheric CO2 Photoreduction Under UV, Visible, and Near-Infrared Light Illumination.

We report an oxygen vacancy (Vo )-rich metallic MoO2-x nano-sea-urchin with partially occupied band, which exhibits super CO2 (even directly from the air) photoreduction performance under UV, visible and near-infrared (NIR) light illumination. The Vo -rich MoO2-x nano-sea-urchin displays a CH4 evolution rate of 12.2 and 5.8 μmol gcatalyst -1 h-1 under full spectrum and NIR light illumination in concentrated CO2 , which is ca. 7- and 10-fold higher than the Vo -poor MoO2-x , respectively. More interestingly, the as-developed Vo -rich MoO2-x nano-sea-urchin can even reduce CO2 directly from the air with a CO evolution rate of 6.5 μmol gcatalyst -1 h-1 under NIR light illumination. Experiments together with theoretical calculations demonstrate that the oxygen vacancy in MoO2-x can facilitate CO2 adsorption/activation to generate *COOH as well as the subsequent protonation of *CO towards the formation of CH4 because of the formation of a highly stable Mo-C-O-Mo intermediate.

Identification of the Active Sites on Metallic MoO2−xNano‐Sea‐Urchin for Atmospheric CO2Photoreduction Under UV, Visible, and Near‐Infrared Light Illumination

AbstractWe report an oxygen vacancy (Vo)‐rich metallic MoO2−xnano‐sea‐urchin with partially occupied band, which exhibits super CO2(even directly from the air) photoreduction performance under UV, visible and near‐infrared (NIR) light illumination. The Vo‐rich MoO2−xnano‐sea‐urchin displays a CH4evolution rate of 12.2 and 5.8 μmol gcatalyst−1 h−1under full spectrum and NIR light illumination in concentrated CO2, which is ca. 7‐ and 10‐fold higher than the Vo‐poor MoO2−x, respectively. More interestingly, the as‐developed Vo‐rich MoO2−xnano‐sea‐urchin can even reduce CO2directly from the air with a CO evolution rate of 6.5 μmol gcatalyst−1 h−1under NIR light illumination. Experiments together with theoretical calculations demonstrate that the oxygen vacancy in MoO2−xcan facilitate CO2adsorption/activation to generate *COOH as well as the subsequent protonation of *CO towards the formation of CH4because of the formation of a highly stable Mo−C−O−Mo intermediate.

Hetero‐Integrated InGaAs Photodiode and Oxide Memristor‐Based Artificial Optical Nerve for In‐Sensor NIR Image Processing

AbstractIn‐sensor computing is an emerging architectural paradigm that fuses data acquisition and processing within a sensory domain. The integration of multiple functions into a single domain reduces the system footprint while it minimizes the energy and time for data transfer between sensory and computing units. However, it is challenging for a simple and compact image sensor array to achieve both sensing and computing in each pixel. Here, this work demonstrates a focal plane array with a heterogeneously integrated one‐photodiode one‐resistor (1P‐1R)‐based artificial optical neuron that emulates the sensing, computing, and memorization of a biological retina system. This work employs an InGaAs photodiode featuring a high responsivity and a broad spectrum that covers near‐infrared (NIR) signals and employs an HfO2 memristor as the artificial synapse to achieve the computing/memorization in an analog domain. Using the fabricated focal plane array integrated with an artificial neural network, this work performs in‐sensor image identification of finger veins driven by NIR light illumination (≈84 % accuracy). The proposed in‐sensor image computing architecture that broadly covers the NIR spectrum offers widespread application of focal plane array for computer vision, neuromorphic computing, biomedical engineering, etc.

Polarization-sensitive near-infrared photodetectors based on quasi-one-dimensional Sb2Se3 nanotubes

In this work, we study the chemical vapor deposition growth of Sb2Se3 nanotubes and investigate their novel applications in polarization-sensitive near-infrared photodetectors. The grown Sb2Se3 nanotubes present a high crystal quality with an average length of 23.96 µm, an average width of 0.99 µm, and an average height of 315 nm. The fabricated singular Sb2Se3 nanotube-based photodetector exhibits a wide spectral response, ranging from visible to near-infrared light regions (400–980 nm), as well as a peak photo-response under the illumination of near-infrared (830 nm) light. At room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure, the Sb2Se3 nanotube photodetector presents a large photocurrent on/off ratio of 364, a high responsivity of 4.39 A W−1, a good specific detectivity of 9.63 × 1010 Jones, and a high external quantum efficiency of 655% under the illumination of 830 nm light. The identified performance can be attributed to intrinsic characteristics of this compound coupled with a highly uniform Sb2Se3 nanotube crystalline structure. The Sb2Se3 nanotube photodetector also exhibits excellent stability after> 200 photo-switching cycles. Most notably, the Sb2Se3 nanotube photodetector presents a large linear dichroic ratio of 3.95 under the illumination of 830 nm light, revealing its great potential in near-infrared polarized photodetection applications.

Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy for Oropharyngeal Cancer.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer has a better prognosis than other head and neck cancers. However, rates of recurrence and metastasis are similar and the prognosis of recurrent or metastatic HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer is poor. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a treatment involving administration of a photosensitizer (IRDye®700DX) conjugated to a monoclonal antibody followed by activation with near-infrared light illumination. It is a highly tumor-specific therapy with minimal toxicity in normal tissues. Moreover, NIR-PIT is expected to have not only direct effects on a treated lesion but also immune responses on untreated distant lesions. NIR-PIT with cetuximab-IR700 (AlluminoxTM) has been in routine clinical use since January 2021 for unresectable locally advanced or locally recurrent head and neck cancer in patients that have previously undergone radiotherapy in Japan. NIR-PIT for head and neck cancer (HN-PIT) is expected to provide a curative treatment option for the locoregional recurrent or metastatic disease after radiotherapy and surgery. This article reviews the mechanism underlying the effect of NIR-PIT and recent clinical trials of NIR-PIT for head and neck cancers, treatment-specific adverse events, combination treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, illumination approach and posttreatment quality of life, and provides a case of series of two patients who receive NIR-PIT for oropharyngeal cancer at our institution.