Polypyrrole-modified CuS nanoprisms for efficient near-infrared photothermal therapy

Abstract

The application of functional nanomaterials in cancer therapy has become a new developing trend due of their unique size-dependent physicochemical performance. In this study, CuS nanoprisms were fabricated via a seed-mediated growth method. The as-prepared CuS nanoprisms possessed a more intense near-infrared absorption at 1184 nm compared with other morphologies. CuS nanoprisms were modified with a polypyrrole (PPy) shell on the surface through oxidative polymerization. The PPy shell efficiently decreased the nanocomposite cytotoxicity and increased the biocompatibility. Based on the excellent photothermal conversion performance of CuS-PPy nanoprisms, the cancer cells in vitro could be killed effectively and the tumor in vivo could be cured through photothermal therapy. This indicated that CuS-PPy nanoprisms are able to be used as an efficient theranostic agent for tumor photothermal therapy in the future.