AUTHOR=Lv Zhongjing , Li Jiafeng , Yang Feng , Cao Kun , Bao Qiang , Sun Yuhua , Yuan Jian 

TITLE=Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Nanocrystals for Enhanced Photothermal Theragnosis Therapy of Cancers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00673

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2020.00673

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=<p>The doped semiconductor nanocrystal with free holes in valence band exhibits strong near-infrared (NIR) local surface plasmon resonance effects, which is essential for photothermal agents. Herein, the hydrophilic Sb doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal synthesis method. The doping makes the Sb doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals possessing defect structures. Compared with the un-doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals, Sb doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals exhibit stronger absorption in the NIR region from 500 to 1,100 nm and higher photothermal conversion efficiency (up to 73.6%) which makes the synthesized Sb doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals be used as excellent photothermal agents. Importantly, Sb doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals can efficiently kill cancer cells both <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic> under the irradiation of a 980 nm laser with a power density of 0.6 W cm<sup>–2</sup>. In addition, Sb doped SnO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals can also be served as efficient CT imaging agents owing to the large X-ray attenuation coefficient of tin.</p>