A Multifunctional Nanoplatform Based on Carbon Nanotubes Loaded with Persistent Luminescent Nanoparticles for Photocatalysis, Photothermal Therapy, and Drug Delivery Applications

Persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) exhibit ultralong afterglow properties due to their excellent light storage mechanism and great potential for biomedical, energy, and environmental applications. However, PLNPs have certain limitations regarding photogenerated carrier separation efficiency, light absorption range, and specific surface area, which limit their efficiency and performance in practical applications. Herein, we reported a multifunctional nanoplatform based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) loaded with PLNPs (ZnGa_1.97O₄:Cr_0.01, Bi_0.02, ZGO). Experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculations showed that the combination of PLNPs with CNTs significantly reduced the recombination efficiency of photogenerated carriers in PLNPs, increased the specific surface area, and enhanced light absorption intensity in the near-infrared (NIR) region. By optimizing the ratio, ZGO-10CNTs not only exhibited the greatest photocatalytic activity for pollutant degradation but also showed excellent photocatalytic efficiency in generating reactive oxygen species, demonstrating their potential for photocatalytic therapy applications. In addition, ZGO-10CNTs demonstrated excellent NIR photothermal conversion and pH-responsive drug release. The integration of PLNPs with CNTs led to the development of a multifunctional nanoplatform with capabilities in photocatalytic degradation, photocatalytic therapy, photothermal therapy, and drug delivery, thus expanding the design of multifunctional nanoplatforms based on PLNPs. The construction of this multifunctional nanoplatform provides new strategies for cancer therapy and opens up new perspectives for applications in the energy and environmental fields.