Lijun Zhu

Ultrabright NIR-IIb Fluorescence Quantum Dots for Targeted Imaging-Guided Surgery

Pioneering approaches for precise tumor removal involve fluorescence-guided surgery, while challenges persist, including the low fluorescence contrast observed at tumor boundaries and the potential for excessive damage to normal tissue at the edges. Lead/cadmium sulfide quantum dots (PbS@CdS QDs), boasting high quantum yields (QYs) and vivid fluorescence, have facilitated advancements in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 900-1700 nm). However, during fluorescent surgical navigation operations, hydrophilic coatings of these inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) guarantee biosafety; it also comes at the expense of losing a significant portion of QY and NIR-II fluorescence, causing heightened damage to normal tissues caused by cutting edges. Herein, we present hydrophilic core-shell PbS@CdS@PEG NPs with an exceptionally small diameter (∼8 nm) and a brilliant NIR-IIb (1500-1700 nm) emission at approximately 1600 nm. The mPEG-SH (MW: 2000) addresses the hydrophobicity and enhances the biosafety of PbS@CdS QDs.