Microfluidic Assembly of NIR‐II AIE Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photothermal Ablation of Breast Tumors

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens with strong near-infrared absorption and excellent photostability are emerging as powerful photothermal agents; however, achieving nanoscale formulations with controlled size, high stability, and near-infrared-II (NIR-II) emission remains challenging. Here, we report an NIR-II emissive AIE small molecule that can be rapidly assembled into monodisperse nanoparticles (NDA-MEPA NPs, ∼40 nm) using a microfluidic strategy that ensures reproducible control over particle size and uniformity. Surface encapsulation with DSPE-PEG2K confers excellent colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and enhanced tumor accumulation. The resulting NDA-MEPA NPs exhibit efficient photothermal conversion under 808 nm irradiation, along with dose- and time-dependent cellular uptake, and induce robust photothermal cytotoxicity in vitro. In vivo evaluations demonstrated that NDA-MEPA NPs enable high-contrast NIR-II fluorescence imaging and effective photothermal tumor ablation with minimal systemic toxicity. This work establishes a programmable microfluidic approach for constructing NIR-II AIE nanomaterials and highlights a biocompatible photothermal platform with strong potential for translational cancer therapy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Published
2026-05-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.71201
Primary Topic
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Microfluidic Assembly of NIR‐II AIE Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photothermal Ablation of Breast Tumors

G S Liu, Ruihua Dong, Zijuan Meng, Xiaohua Ji et al.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
article

Microfluidic Assembly of NIR‐II AIE Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photothermal Ablation of Breast Tumors

G S Liu, Ruihua Dong, Zijuan Meng, Xiaohua Ji, Zheng Zhao, Ben Zhong Tang, Zhen Zhang, Fulong Ma
article en

Abstract

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens with strong near-infrared absorption and excellent photostability are emerging as powerful photothermal agents; however, achieving nanoscale formulations with controlled size, high stability, and near-infrared-II (NIR-II) emission remains challenging. Here, we report an NIR-II emissive AIE small molecule that can be rapidly assembled into monodisperse nanoparticles (NDA-MEPA NPs, ∼40 nm) using a microfluidic strategy that ensures reproducible control over particle size and uniformity. Surface encapsulation with DSPE-PEG2K confers excellent colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and enhanced tumor accumulation. The resulting NDA-MEPA NPs exhibit efficient photothermal conversion under 808 nm irradiation, along with dose- and time-dependent cellular uptake, and induce robust photothermal cytotoxicity in vitro. In vivo evaluations demonstrated that NDA-MEPA NPs enable high-contrast NIR-II fluorescence imaging and effective photothermal tumor ablation with minimal systemic toxicity. This work establishes a programmable microfluidic approach for constructing NIR-II AIE nanomaterials and highlights a biocompatible photothermal platform with strong potential for translational cancer therapy.

Advanced Healthcare Materials
Qingdao University (CN), Xiamen University (CN), Theranostics (New Zealand) (NZ), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CN), Xiamen University of Technology (CN)
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
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