Toward clinical translation of carbon nanomaterials in anticancer drug delivery: the need for standardisation

• Michał Bartkowski,
• Francesco Calzaferri and
• Silvia Giordani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 2092–2104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.144

• energy sectors (Figure 1). NMs have seen use as antimicrobial agents [1], catalysts [2], bioimaging agents [3][4][5][6], magnetic particle imaging agents [7], nanofluids [8], antiviral agents [9], photothermal convertors [10], and in environmental remediation [11]. Topically, the biomedical applications

Laser ablation in liquids for shape-tailored synthesis of nanomaterials: status and challenges

• Natalie Tarasenka

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1963–1997, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.137

Prospects of nanotechnology and natural products for cancer and immunotherapy

• Jan Filipe Andrade Santos,
• Marcela Bernardes Brasileiro,
• Pamela Danielle Cavalcante Barreto,
• Ligiane Aranha Rocha and
• José Adão Carvalho Nascimento Júnior

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1644–1667, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.116

• antitumor immune responses with reduced toxicity and fewer side effects [140]. Moreover, this technology can be applied to various cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy [141]. For instance, patent WO2016178224 (2016) describes the

• free BER exhibited antitumor effects on Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells, which were further improved with CDs–BER. This combination was able to enhance the inhibitory effect on the cells subjected to photothermal therapy, reducing the cell survival rate to 34.5%, while being biocompatible with a

Nanomaterials for biomedical applications

• Iqra Zainab,
• Zohra Naseem,
• Syeda Rubab Batool,
• Filippo Pierini,
• Seda Kizilel and
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1499–1503, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.105

• promote the healing of damaged tissues or organs [5]. Photothermal treatments are also possible with nanomaterials, as specially prepared particles can heat up and destroy cancer cells when exposed to light [6]. Moreover, nanomaterials can be incorporated into implants and prosthetics for enhanced

• photothermal therapy (PTT), in which heating special nanoparticles with light helps kill damaged cells, most notably cancerous cells. Most doctors are using this technique since it treats tumors more precisely and in a less invasive way than standard chemotherapy and radiation [32]. Gold and silver metallic

• nanoparticles are most often used in photothermal therapy. These nanomaterials can capture specific wavelengths of light from the near-infrared spectrum and then use that energy to generate heat. This heat from the laser points causes cancer cells to be damaged or destroyed, while reducing the damage to nearby

Synthesis and antibacterial properties of nanosilver-modified cellulose triacetate membranes for seawater desalination

• Lei Wang,
• Shizhe Li,
• Kexin Xu,
• Wenjun Li,
• Ying Li and
• Gang Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1380–1391, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.100

• photocatalytic properties of TiO2, which generate ROS that degrade bacterial membranes [23]. Yang and Wang’s group introduced carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into a mixed cellulose esters (MCE) membrane to create a robust porous bi-layered photothermal membrane (CNT@PEI/MCE) for efficient solar-driven interfacial water

Ferroptosis induction by engineered liposomes for enhanced tumor therapy

• Alireza Ghasempour,
• Mohammad Amin Tokallou,
• Mohammad Reza Naderi Allaf,
• Mohsen Moradi,
• Hamideh Dehghan,
• Mahsa Sedighi,
• Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi and
• Fahimeh Lavi Arab

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1325–1349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.97

• with photothermal or photodynamic therapy. These hybrids are especially promising in cancer therapy. For instance, theranostic liposome–nanoparticle hybrids integrate therapeutic agents with imaging capabilities, allowing for simultaneous treatment and real-time tumor response monitoring [136

Better together: biomimetic nanomedicines for high performance tumor therapy

• Imran Shair Mohammad,
• Gizem Kursunluoglu,
• Anup Kumar Patel,
• Hafiz Muhammad Ishaq,
• Cansu Umran Tunc,
• Dilek Kanarya,
• Mubashar Rehman,
• Omer Aydin and
• Yin Lifang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1246–1276, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.92

• microenvironment [156]. Other combinational therapy strategies using biomimetic nanoplatforms were reported with co-delivery of nucleic acid drugs and chemotherapeutics [157][158][159], and combinational gene therapy and photothermal therapy [160]. Recently, Liang et al. developed novel stealth and MMP2-activated

• NPs showed long circulation and enhanced tumor accumulation, and significantly inhibited the tumor. These biological bomb structures killed the transfected as well surrounding lung cancer cells by a “bystander effect” and efficiently suppressed lung cancer [162]. 2.3 Photothermal/photodynamic therapy

• Photothermal therapy (PTT), a new class of cancer treatment that uses heat absorbed by light-absorbing materials, is a non-invasive method with certain advantages, including reduced toxicity and strong anti-tumor efficacy [163][164][165]. The working principle of PTT is based on the conversion of absorbed

Deep learning for enhancement of low-resolution and noisy scanning probe microscopy images

• Samuel Gelman,
• Irit Rosenhek-Goldian,
• Nir Kampf,
• Marek Patočka,
• Maricarmen Rios,
• Marcos Penedo,
• Georg Fantner,
• Amir Beker,
• Sidney R. Cohen and
• Ido Azuri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1129–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.83

• scan direction (here, x). However, in some modes, such as peak force and photothermal off-resonance tapping as used here, unless the data is significantly oversampled, decreasing the number of pixels in both x and y scan directions will lower acquisition time proportionately. We therefore sample here

• 52 pairs of low- and high-resolution images of a Celgard® 2400 membrane (Celgard, LLC - North Carolina, USA). Images of 5 μm × 5 µm were captured at 8–10 Hz scanning speed, using a fast-scan AFM system, operated by using photothermal off-resonance (at 10 kHz) tapping [35] and small cantilevers, which

Soft materials nanoarchitectonics: liquid crystals, polymers, gels, biomaterials, and others

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1025–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.77

Time-resolved probing of laser-induced nanostructuring processes in liquids

• Maximilian Spellauge,
• David Redka,
• Mianzhen Mo,
• Changyong Song,
• Heinz Paul Huber and
• Anton Plech

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 968–1002, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.74

Polyurethane/silk fibroin-based electrospun membranes for wound healing and skin substitute applications

• Iqra Zainab,
• Zohra Naseem,
• Syeda Rubab Batool,
• Muhammad Waqas,
• Ahsan Nazir and
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 591–612, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.46

• utilized owing to their photothermal properties with drug-release capability, which can result in sustained drug delivery, cell attachment, and antibacterial action. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that these materials are activated by light in a non-invasive manner, which greatly reduces the

• and differentiation to repair damaged neural tissue [171]. They are also widely used for cancer treatments such as photothermal and photodynamic therapy, where light activation creates heat or reactive oxygen species to severely damage and kill cancer cells while reducing the harm done to healthy

• growth [175]. Zhou et al. focused on the fabrication of a novel composite membrane suitable for photothermal cancer therapy based on black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets because of their high biocompatibility and photothermal efficacy. SF was used as an exfoliating agent in stable liquid exfoliation with

Synthetic-polymer-assisted antisense oligonucleotide delivery: targeted approaches for precision disease treatment

• Ana Cubillo Alvarez,
• Dylan Maguire and
• Ruairí P. Brannigan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 435–463, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.34

Radiosensitizing properties of dual-functionalized carbon nanostructures loaded with temozolomide

• Radmila Milenkovska,
• Nikola Geskovski,
• Dushko Shalabalija,
• Ljubica Mihailova,
• Petre Makreski,
• Dushko Lukarski,
• Igor Stojkovski,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska and
• Kristina Mladenovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 229–251, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.18

• ischemic stroke [26] and photodynamic and photothermal therapy of brain tumors [27]. Brain tumors are characterized by very high morbidity and mortality rates; among them, the most frequent primary tumors are malignant gliomas, representing more than 80% of all brain tumors, of which more than 40% are

Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• treatment technologies. This underscores an urgent need for more advanced therapeutic approaches to effectively halt or even reverse the progression of eye diseases. The rapid advancement of nanotechnology offers promising pathways for the development of novel ophthalmic therapies. Notably, photothermal

• nanomaterials, particularly well-suited for the transparent tissues of the eye, have emerged as a potential game changer. These materials enable precise and controllable photothermal therapy by effectively manipulating the distribution of the thermal field. Moreover, they extend beyond the conventional

• the photothermal properties of these nanomaterials and their innovative therapeutic mechanisms. We review the latest research on photothermal nanomaterial-based treatments for various eye diseases. Additionally, we discuss the current challenges and future perspectives in this field, with a focus on

Nanocarriers and macrophage interaction: from a potential hurdle to an alternative therapeutic strategy

• Naths Grazia Sukubo,
• Paolo Bigini and
• Annalisa Morelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 97–118, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.10

• normal liver tissue [98]. This targeted approach allows for the selective delivery of therapeutic agents to cancer cells, sparing healthy cells and reducing systemic toxicity. For example, gold NPs functionalized with antibodies against GPC3 have been used in photothermal therapy to selectively kill

Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications

• Shakhzodjon Uzokboev,
• Khojimukhammad Akhmadbekov,
• Ra’no Nuritdinova,
• Salah M. Tawfik and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88

Therapeutic effect of F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles on folate receptor-expressing cancer cells

• Thi Ngoc Han Pham,
• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan Thang Cao,
• Thanh-Danh Nguyen,
• Vy Tran Anh and
• Hieu Vu_Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 954–964, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.78

• use. Second, IR780 generates heat when excited; therefore, it has been combined with other agents and used for photothermal therapy, triggering the release of drugs from nanoparticles for therapy [51][52]. Therefore, the appearance of IR780 in our nanoparticle in the study would bring some advantage

Gold nanomakura: nanoarchitectonics and their photothermal response in association with carrageenan hydrogels

• Nabojit Das,
• Vikas,
• Akash Kumar,
• Sanjeev Soni and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 678–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.56

• Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India Biomedical Applications Group, CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Sector 30C, Chandigarh 160030, India 10.3762/bjnano.15.56 Abstract Photothermal conversion of light

• into heat energy is an intrinsic optical property of metal nanoparticles when irradiated using near-infrared radiation. However, the impact of size and shape on the photothermal behaviour of gold nanomakura particles possessing optical absorption within 600–700 nm as well as on incorporation in

• gold nanomakura within a 600–700 nm wavelength. The aspect ratio as well as anisotropy of synthesized gold nanomakura can influence photothermal response upon near-infrared irradiation. The role of carbon tail length was evident via absorption peaks obtained from longitudinal surface plasmon resonance

Exfoliation of titanium nitride using a non-thermal plasma process

• Priscila Jussiane Zambiazi,
• Dolores Ribeiro Ricci Lazar,
• Larissa Otubo,
• Rodrigo Fernando Brambilla de Souza,
• Almir Oliveira Neto and
• Cecilia Chaves Guedes-Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 631–637, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.53

• exfoliation methods, offering promising prospects for applications in photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy of tumors because of their satisfactory absorption characteristics in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) region [5]. The non-thermal plasma (NTP) synthesis method enables the fabrication of 2D

AFM-IR investigation of thin PECVD SiO_x films on a polypropylene substrate in the surface-sensitive mode

• Hendrik Müller,
• Hartmut Stadler,
• Teresa de los Arcos,
• Adrian Keller and
• Guido Grundmeier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 603–611, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.51

• Photothermal AFM-IR nanospectroscopy is a technique that combines the chemical information from infrared (IR) spectroscopy with the high spatial resolution of atomic force microscopy (AFM). For this, the sample is illuminated with a tunable IR laser [1]. When a suitable IR wavelength is chosen, resonant

• ). To tackle this problem, the surface-sensitive mode was developed. Surface-sensitive AFM-IR Surface-sensitive AFM-IR mode [10] operates in contact mode on the absorbing sample and utilizes nonlinear frequency mixing of IR-laser-induced photothermal and an additional dither piezo-induced mechanical

• than 10–30 nm below the top surface). As this is a higher-order nonlinear effect, the resulting tip–surface force is very small compared to that of classical contact-mode-based AFM-IR techniques, such as the ring-down method or resonance-enhanced AFM-IR, where the photothermal tip–sample force can be

Classification and application of metal-based nanoantioxidants in medicine and healthcare

• Nguyen Nhat Nam,
• Nguyen Khoi Song Tran,
• Tan Tai Nguyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Trai,
• Nguyen Phuong Thuy,
• Hoang Dang Khoa Do,
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran and
• Kieu The Loan Trinh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 396–415, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.36

• ]. PDA-Ru nanoparticles could degrade Aβ fibrils under low-power laser irradiation because of their great photothermal effect. Moreover, PDA-Ru nanoparticles could decompose H2O2 owing to their strong CAT activity. PDA-Ru nanoparticles effectively improved memory capacity and decreased neuroinflammation

• enhancing SOD, GPx, and CAT activities [166]. Second, nanoantioxidants can be used to support cancer therapies such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) [167]. In this strategy, nanomaterials with antioxidant activities enhance PDT and PTT efficacy by reducing hypoxia in the tumor

• nanomedicines, particularly AuNPs, have been implemented in various settings, with twelve clinical trials already completed or in progress. Notably, one of these trials, NCT01436123, focuses on utilizing heat for the photothermal treatment of atherosclerosis [176]. In an observational study with three arms

Vinorelbine-loaded multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles as anticancer drug delivery systems: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro release study

• Zeynep Özcan and
• Afife Binnaz Hazar Yoruç

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 256–269, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.24

• photothermal therapy on a single platform has been developed in the form of vinorelbine-loaded polydopamine-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Vinorelbine (VNB) is loaded on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles produced by a solvothermal technique after coating with polydopamine (PDA) with varying weight

• cancer therapy agent, is included in the nanocomposite structure, and in vitro drug release studies under different pH conditions (pH 5.5 and 7.4) and photothermal activity at 808 nm NIR laser irradiation are investigated. The comprehensive integration of precise multifunctional nanoparticles design

• , magnetic response, and controlled drug release with photothermal effect brings a different perspective to advanced cancer treatment research. Keywords: drug efficacy; iron oxide nanoparticles; photothermal; solvothermal method; Introduction Cancer is a widespread condition characterized by the

Nanocarrier systems loaded with IR780, iron oxide nanoparticles and chlorambucil for cancer theragnostics

• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan-Thang Cao,
• Vy Tran-Anh and
• Hieu Vu Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 180–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.17

• and IR783 are also promising diagnostic choices. Encapsulation of IR780 in nanoparticles can be used for imaging and photothermal, photodynamic, and combinatorial cancer therapies [20][21][22]. IR780 is also utilized in PEG-PLA nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy of human breast cancer cells [23

Enhanced feedback performance in off-resonance AFM modes through pulse train sampling

• Mustafa Kangül,
• Navid Asmari,
• Santiago H. Andany,
• Marcos Penedo and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 134–143, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.13

• to add a second piezo on the Z axis with a higher resonance frequency [23]. Another approach is direct actuation of the cantilever, as it typically possesses a higher resonance frequency [24][25][26]. In particular, photothermal actuation, which utilizes laser-induced heating of the cantilever, has

• tracking compared to the conventional method, as it does not have the intrinsic delay. We observed a marginal improvement in tracking when we applied the method to high-speed photothermal ORT. Moreover, since the proposed method provides better tracking at lower ORT frequencies, it becomes possible to

Dual-heterodyne Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Fatima Husainy,
• Dmitry Aldakov and
• Cyril Aumaître

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1068–1084, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.88

• with the application of a light pulse (i.e., a curve is recorded at each point of the surface along a 2D grid). Again, a differential SPV image can be reconstructed from the matrix of spectroscopic curves [5]. However, this approach is not free from artefacts, in particular the cantilever photothermal

• that the modulation frequency of the light source is set high enough, it becomes possible to “stabilize” the static bending in a steady state, and photothermal cantilever excitation can be avoided (by setting the optical modulation at a frequency that differs from the cantilever resonance eigenmodes