Brightly luminescent (NH4)xCs1-xPbBr3 quantum dots for in vitro imaging and efficient photothermal ablation therapy

Girum Getachew; Wan-Wen Huang; Tzung-Han Chou; Akash S Rasal; Jia-Yaw Chang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2021.07.116

Brightly luminescent (NH₄)_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ quantum dots for in vitro imaging and efficient photothermal ablation therapy

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2022 Jan:605:500-512. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.07.116. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Authors

Girum Getachew¹, Wan-Wen Huang¹, Tzung-Han Chou², Akash S Rasal¹, Jia-Yaw Chang³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan, Republic of China.
² Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan, Republic of China.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan, Republic of China; Taiwan Building Technology Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan, Republic of China. Electronic address: jychang@mail.ntust.edu.tw.

PMID: 34343730
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.07.116

Abstract

Herein, we report for the first time a facile strategy for the highly efficient (NH₄)_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ quantum dots (QDs). By modulating the amount of ammonium, (NH₄)_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ QDs with different photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields (QY) were synthesized. The results of X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the crystal structure of (NH₄)_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ was altered by incorporation of NH₄⁺ cations into the CsPbBr₃ lattice. The (NH₄)_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ QDs showed enhanced PL QY, higher photostability, and long-term storage stability compared to CsPbBr₃ QDs. Furthermore, (NH₄)_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ QDs could be conjugated with a photothermal dye (IR780) via a one-pot reaction using poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) and IR780-MPTS. To the best of our knowledge, the present work is the first attempt integrating perovskite QDs and phototherapeutic molecules into one system (abbreviated as PQD-IR780), demonstrating good water dispersibility and high photothermal conversion efficiency of 57.85%. In vitro experiments performed to examine subcellular uptake showed high fluorescence brightness was observed in HeLa, B16F1, and HepG2 cancer cells cultured with PQD-IR780. The results indicate that the internalization mechanism for uptaking of PQD-IR780 inside HeLa cells is energy-dependent and caveolin-mediated endocytosis. The in vitro cell viability assays and photothermal therapy revealed that PQD-IR780 showed good biocompatibility and can induce hyperthermia upon laser irradiation.

Keywords: (NH(4))(x)Cs(1-x)PbBr(3); Caveolin-mediated endocytosis; Optical imaging; Perovskite quantum dots; Photothermal therapy.

MeSH terms

Cell Survival
HeLa Cells
Humans
Luminescence
Photothermal Therapy
Quantum Dots*