A NIR-II AIEgen with superior fluorescence and photothermal performance for precision theranostics
6 affiliations
- 1State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, Key Laboratory of Advanced Gas Sensors of Jilin Province, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, College of Integrated Circuits, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
- 2Laboratory Animal Center, College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
- 3Department of Breast Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun 130033, China.
- 4College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
- 5International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
- 6Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Aggregate Science, School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, Guangdong, China.
Abstract
Second near-infrared (NIR-II; 1000 to 1700 nanometers) aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) hold great promise for imaging-guided precision tumor phototherapy yet are limited by the intrinsic trade-off between fluorescence brightness and photothermal performance. Existing design strategies often yield complex molecular structures while inadequately addressing this trade-off. Herein, we propose a “Minor Tweaks, Major Leaps” concept: Simple modification of the star NIR-II AIEgen 2TT- o C6B (less than 5% change in molecular weight) markedly improves both NIR-II fluorescence brightness and photothermal performance. The thus-obtained new NIR-II AIEgen, ST-CZ , ranks among leading phototheranostic agents, exhibiting a long emission maximum at 1082 nanometers, a high fluorescence quantum yield of 4.3%, and a great photothermal conversion efficiency of 69% in nanoparticles. Leveraging these superior properties, ST-CZ enables cerebrovascular imaging with an advanced resolution of 19.0 micrometers, and the derived multifunctional platform achieves tumor progression–associated vascular remodeling visualization and efficient metastatic tumor ablation via synergistic photothermal immunotherapy. This work provides a robust strategy for developing high-performance NIR-II AIEgens for advanced biomedical applications.
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BibTeX
@article{zheng2026nirii,
title = {{A NIR-II AIEgen with superior fluorescence and photothermal performance for precision theranostics}},
author = {Huanlong Zheng and Tiantian Li and Tong Sun and Jiahang Xu and Jinbei Wei and Shi-Tong Zhang and Chenguang Wang and Dongxu Wang and Geyu Lu and Ben Zhong Tang},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aeh5939},
url = {https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeh5939},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A NIR-II AIEgen with superior fluorescence and photothermal performance for precision theranostics
AU - Huanlong Zheng
AU - Tiantian Li
AU - Tong Sun
AU - Jiahang Xu
AU - Jinbei Wei
AU - Shi-Tong Zhang
AU - Chenguang Wang
AU - Dongxu Wang
AU - Geyu Lu
AU - Ben Zhong Tang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aeh5939
UR - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeh5939
AB - Second near-infrared (NIR-II; 1000 to 1700 nanometers) aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) hold great promise for imaging-guided precision tumor phototherapy yet are limited by the intrinsic trade-off between fluorescence brightness and photothermal performance. Existing design strategies often yield complex molecular structures while inadequately addressing this trade-off. Herein, we propose a “Minor Tweaks, Major Leaps” concept: Simple modification of the star NIR-II AIEgen 2TT- o C6B (less than 5% change in molecular weight) markedly improves both NIR-II fluorescence brightness and photothermal performance. The thus-obtained new NIR-II AIEgen, ST-CZ , ranks among leading phototheranostic agents, exhibiting a long emission maximum at 1082 nanometers, a high fluorescence quantum yield of 4.3%, and a great photothermal conversion efficiency of 69% in nanoparticles. Leveraging these superior properties, ST-CZ enables cerebrovascular imaging with an advanced resolution of 19.0 micrometers, and the derived multifunctional platform achieves tumor progression–associated vascular remodeling visualization and efficient metastatic tumor ablation via synergistic photothermal immunotherapy. This work provides a robust strategy for developing high-performance NIR-II AIEgens for advanced biomedical applications.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -