3D CoPt nanostructures hybridized with iridium complexes for multimodal imaging and combined photothermal-chemotherapy.

Combined photothermal-chemotherapy has shown great potential in improving the efficiency of tumor treatment. In this article, we have designed a new type of nanocomposite Ir-CoPt-PVP composed of cobalt/platinum alloy nanoparticles (CoPt) and iridium(III) complex (Ir) for combined photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy. The obtained CoPt was synthesized by a simple solvothermal method and modified by polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), which exhibited excellent photothermal efficiency and stability, and can also be a bimodal bioimaging contrast agent in photothermal imaging (PTI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI). Furthermore, the combination therapy has shown obvious tumor cell-growth inhibition in vitro. Overall, the results revealed the great potential of Ir-CoPt-PVP nanocomposites in improving therapeutic efficiency by photothermal-chemotherapy and photothermal/photoacoustic imaging.