Cancer therapy by combined photothermal and electrotherapy using Ti3C2 MXene-Coated Au@Ni–Fe nanoparticles

This study investigates the optical and thermal properties of a Ti 3 C 2 MXene-coated Au@Ni–Fe multilayer nanoplatform, which consists of a gold plasmonic core, a thermally stable and spectrally tunable Ni–Fe shell, and a Ti 3 C 2 MXene shell with high electrical conductivity. Using the effective medium theory combined with Penn's bioheating equation, the Arrhenius thermal damage model, and the Thomson effect, we investigate the light absorption, temperature distribution, and tumor ablation efficiency during photothermal therapy, electrotherapy, and their combination. Our results show that the surface plasmon resonance peak can be precisely tuned in the near-infrared NIR-I window (700-900 nm) by varying the size of the gold core, the composition of the Ni–Fe alloy, and the MXene shell layers. The synergistic combination of photothermal (808 nm laser) and electrotherapy (40 V) enables rapid and localized tumor ablation to a temperature of approximately 43 °C within 5 min, while sparing healthy tissues. These findings highlight the potential of our hierarchically designed nanoparticles as a powerful and efficient platform for combination cancer therapy. • Tunable plasmonic resonance. The multilayer design (Au core/Ni–Fe alloy shell/Ti 3 C 2 MXene coating) enables precise spectral tuning of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) within the 700–900 nm biological window by adjusting core size, alloy composition, and MXene layer thickness, optimizing photothermal conversion. • Enhanced thermal stability via Ni–Fe interlayer The Ni–Fe alloy shell provides superior thermal stability compared to pure Au, preventing core deformation under prolonged laser irradiation and ensuring sustained photothermal performance. • Efficient electrothermal conversion with MXene coating The Ti 3 C 2 MXene outer shell offers exceptional electrical conductivity (>10 6 S/m), facilitating intense localized Joule heating during electrotherapy and enabling effective tumor ablation at reduced voltages. • Rapid tumor ablation via combined modality (PET) Combined photothermal (808 nm laser, 1.5 W/cm 2 ) and electrotherapy (40 V, 5 min) with MXene-coated nanoparticles achieves rapid temperature rise to ∼43 °C within the tumor, leading to 86.58% tumor removal in 5 min while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. • Low-energy synergistic therapeutic platform The integrated platform reduces the required electrotherapy voltage by 49% (40 V vs. 78 V in conventional electrotherapy) and shortens treatment duration, demonstrating a highly energy efficient strategy for localized cancer therapy. • Predictive multi-physics modeling framework A rigorous computational model combining effective medium theory, Penn's bioheat equation, Thomson effect, and Arrhenius damage integral successfully predicts optical-thermal-electrical performance and therapeutic outcome, providing a rational design basis for multifunctional theranostic agents.