{
  "abstract": "Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) as an innovative biomedical imaging modality shows high contrast and superior spatial resolution, yet remains limited by underdeveloped second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) contrast agents, particularly neglecting the NIR-IIb (1500-1700 nm) window. In this work, we designed a new class of diimmonium (DB)-based dicationic nano-agents (DB·2X, X = TFSI ⁻ , B(C ₂ O ₄ ) ₂ ⁻ , or BF ₄ ⁻ ) for 1700 nm excitation PAI. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that dicationic DB ²⁺ exhibits a dramatically reduced excitation energy (1.24 eV) and enhanced oscillator strength (f = 1.11) by molecular engineering, attributed to a symmetry-allowed local excitation mechanism for electronic restructuring. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction further demonstrates the intermolecular spacings >5.0 Å in DB·2X aggregates, facilitating optimized non-radiative transitions for amplified PAI signals. In vivo study using different disease models shows that DB·2TFSI nano-agents under 1700 nm excitation can achieve higher signal-to-background ratio and minimized interference from endogenous chromophores compared to conventional 1064 nm excitation. Biocompatibility assessments confirm low cytotoxicity, underscoring potential for further development of DB·2TFSI nano-agents. This work delivers a robust molecular design paradigm for non-radiative decay optimization, and for the first time establishes 1700 nm-excitable PAI nano-agents, paving the way for tissue high-quality biomedical imaging.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Longcai Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yang Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Liya Yu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xiaozhou Mou",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3234-1737"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guangxue Feng",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4344-3517"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yu Cai",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8669-4418"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9vw88k9mrsagc.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78613-7",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9vw88k9mrsagc",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78613-7",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221577955",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78613-7_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-12",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9vw88k9mrsagc.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41467-026-78613-7",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78613-7"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Short Wavelength Infrared Diimmonium Nano-Agents for Photoacoustic Imaging",
  "title_text": "Short Wavelength Infrared Diimmonium Nano-Agents for Photoacoustic Imaging",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9vw88k9mrsagc",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}