title: Near-Infrared Light-Responsive Semiconductor Polymer Composite Hydrogels: Spatial/Temporal-Controlled Release via a Photothermal "Sponge" Effect.
abstract: Near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive hydrogels are important for biomedical applications, such as remote-controlled release, but the NIR agents previously used were largely limited to heavy-metal inorganic materials such as gold nanoparticles. In this article, we report a new type of NIR photothermal-responsive hydrogel that can undergo structural changes in response to NIR light for biomedical applications in drug delivery and controlled release. The hydrogels synthesized by integrating a narrow-bandgap semiconductor polymer poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole-alt-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) with the polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide show rapid and reversible mechanical shrinkage upon NIR light irradiation and can serve as carriers for anticancer drug loading and spatial/temporal control of drug release. These stimuli-responsive hydrogels, which can be prepared in different sizes and shapes, integrate photothermal properties and hydrogel characteristics and can provide on-demand, repeated, remote-controlled drug delivery for biomedical applications such as cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , 62 Nanyang Drive, 637459 Singapore.
authors.forename: Yingjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , 62 Nanyang Drive, 637459 Singapore.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , 62 Nanyang Drive, 637459 Singapore.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , 62 Nanyang Drive, 637459 Singapore.
authors.forename: Cangjie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , 62 Nanyang Drive, 637459 Singapore.
authors.forename: Mingfeng
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6445-6854
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: PNIPAM; controlled release; drug delivery; hydrogel; photothermal effect; semiconducting polymer