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In this work, an anionic conjugated polyelectrolyte (PCP-SO3K), in which the backbone contains alternating 4,4-bis-alkyl-4H-cyclopenta-[2,1-b;3,4-b']-dithiophene and benzene structural units and the charges are provided by pendant sulfonate groups, was synthesized. The ionic nature of PCP-SO3K renders it soluble in water, and PCP-SO3K aqueous solution exhibits good photostability, with two main absorbance bands centered at 490 nm and 837 nm before and after laser irradiation. Its NIR absorption in water, negligible photoluminescence and insignificant intersystem crossing endow PCP-SO3K with efficient photothermal therapy performance, and an effective photothermal conversion efficiency of 56.7% was realized. Thus, PCP-SO3K aqueous solution can be used as an effective photothermal agent for in vivo applications as its photoactivity can be triggered by NIR light and can convert laser energy into thermal energy in a water environment. Of particular importance is the fact that complete tumor remission without recurrence in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice was realized after intravenous injection of PCP-SO3K aqueous solution and laser irradiation (2.0 W cm-2, 808 nm). The results indicate that the application of anionic conjugated polyelectrolytes as photothermal agents in photothermal therapy provides a new platform for the design of photothermal agents for clinical cancer treatment.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) as a kind of molecular metal-oxide cluster with precise chemical composition and architecture have been demonstrated to show potential in multidisciplinary materials. Accompanied by their bioactivities, POM clusters have also been shown to be capable of sensing diseases and allowing synergistic therapy based on their redox and near infrared absorption. In parallel with metal nanoparticles and organic materials, these inorganic clusters have also displayed unique photothermal imaging and therapeutic properties over recent years. In this review, we outlined the main achievements of POMs in the fields of bio-detecting probes and the photothermal effect. Fluorescence detection, magnetic resonance, computed tomography, and photothermal property-supported photoacoustic imaging acting as a multifunction platform that integrates photothermal therapy (PTT) were discussed at the same time. The comparison of nanocomposites to POMs alone in imaging-guided PTT, multi-modal imaging, and the combination of PTT with controlled chemotherapy and gas therapy were described in detail. The advantages and possible drawbacks of POMs as well as perspectives in related areas were analyzed, which ascertained such clusters to be a type of promising agent in biomedical applications.

We analyse theoretically and by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations the generation of mechanical force by a polyelectrolyte (PE) chain grafted to a plane. The PE is exposed to an external electric field that favours its adsorption on the plane. The free end of the chain is linked to a deformable target body. By varying the field, one can alter the length of the non-adsorbed part of the chain. This entails variation of the deformation of the target body and hence variation of the force arising in the body. Our theoretical predictions for the generated force are in very good agreement with the MD data. Using the theory developed for the generated force, we study the effectiveness of possible PE-based nano-vices, composed of two clenching planes connected by PEs and exposed to an external electric field. We exploit the Cundall-Strack solid friction model to describe the friction between a particle and the clenching planes. We compute the diffusion coefficient of a clenched particle and show that it drastically decreases even in weak applied fields. This demonstrates the efficacy of the PE-based nano-vices, which may be a possible alternative to the existing nanotube nano-tweezers and optical tweezers.This article is part of the themed issue 'Multiscale modelling at the physics-chemistry-biology interface'., (© 2016 The Author(s).)