Lanthanide-Based Photothermal Materials: Fabrication and Biomedical Applications

Photothermal material (PTM) is an indispensable component in noninvasive photothermal therapy. There has been a growing interest due to its excellent tumor ablation performance with minimal side effects. Recently, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been introduced to generate PTMs owing to their outstanding merits of high signal-to-noise ratio imaging, tunable spectra feature, and accurate monitoring of real temperature in tumor tissues. The combination of rare-earth materials with the photothermal effect provides a potent strategy for synergistic phototherapy, achieving the integration of diagnosis and treatment. The current text reviews the recent advances in lanthanide-based PTMs. The design, fabrication, and applications of those PTMs are discussed systematically. Challenges and perspectives regarding the development of UCNPs-based PTMs are finally presented.