Table 1.
Examples of PA contrast agent explored in PAI.
| Materials | Types of nanoagents | Advantages (+)/Disadvantages (-) | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inorganic | Metallic nanomaterials | Au nanorods; Au nanostars; Au nanocages; Au nanoshell; Au nanovesicles; Au nanoflowers; Ag nanoplates; Palladium nanoplates; antimony nanoparticles | (+) tunable physiochemical properties; chemically inert element with reasonable biocompatibility; able to carry cargoes. (-) non-biodegradability; suboptimal photothermal stability |
[29-34, 37, 38, 40-45] |
| Carbon-based nanomaterials | Carbon nanotubes; Graphenes; Carbon dots | (+) able to carry cargoes; good photothermal stability. (-) non-biodegradability; heterogeneity |
[47, 54, 55, 57] | |
| TMC | CuS; WS2; MoS2; FeS; Bi2S3; CuSe; Co9Se8; Bi2Se3 | (+) high photothermal conversion efficiency; good photothermal stability; low cost. (-) non-biodegradability; contain heavy metal elements |
[62-69] | |
| Organic | Dyes | porphyrin- and cyanine-based dyes, e.g. ICG, IR780, IR825, etc. | (+) good biocompatibility/biodegradability. (-) poor aqueous solubility, low photothermal stability, short bloodstream circulation half-life |
[77-79, 83-86] |
| Polymer-based nanomaterials | Polypyrrole; Polyaniline; Polydopamine; Semiconducting polymers | (+) good biocompatibility and photothermal stability; able to carry cargoes. (-) their biodegradation behaviors remain unknown |
[87-94] | |