Metal‐Doped Carbon‐Based Nanomaterials: Photothermal Mechanism Innovation and Precision Therapy Advancement in Antibacterial and Antitumor Applications

ABSTRACT Metal‐doped carbon‐based nanomaterials (M‐CNM) play a strategically significant role in next‐generation precision antibacterial and antitumor therapies, as they integrate synergistic photothermal ablation, catalytic reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and multimodal imaging capabilities. However, their clinical translation is hindered by unclear in vivo metabolic pathways, uncontrollable metal–ion leakage, suboptimal photothermal conversion efficiency in deep tissues, and the lack of dopant‐specific efficacy–toxicity guidelines. This review elaborates the in vivo metabolic pathways and photothermal conversion mechanisms of carbon‐based nanomaterials (CNM) with intrinsic photothermal properties in detail. It systematically analyzes how doping different metallic elements regulates their photothermal performance, delves into their antibacterial and antitumor efficacy, and discusses their potential applications and existing limitations in relevant therapeutic fields. This work provides unique insights into the design and construction of M‐CNM in diverse biological applications, offering theoretical support for advancing their development and clinical translation in precision antibacterial and antitumor treatments, while also emphasizing the direction of future optimization to address key challenges for clinical application.