Imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) by combination of imaging and PTT has been emerging as a promising therapeutic method for precision therapy. However, the development of multicomponent nanoplatforms with stable structures for both PTT and multiple-model imaging remains a great challenge. Herein, we synthesized monodisperse Au-FeC Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) of 12 nm, which are multifunctional entities for cancer theranostics. Due to the broad absorption in the near-infrared range, Au-FeC JNPs showed a significant photothermal effect with a 30.2% calculated photothermal transduction efficiency under 808 nm laser irradiation in vitro. Owing to their excellent optical and magnetic properties, Au-FeC JNPs were demonstrated to be advantageous agents for triple-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/multispectral photoacoustic tomography (MSOT)/computed tomography (CT) both in vitro and in vivo. We found that Au-FeC JNPs conjugated with the affibody (Au-FeC-Z) have more accumulation and deeper penetration in tumor sites than nontargeting JNPs (Au-FeC-PEG) in vivo. Meanwhile, our results verified that Au-FeC-Z JNPs can selectively target tumor cells with low cytotoxicity and ablate tumor tissues effectively in a mouse model. In summary, monodisperse Au-FeC JNPs, used as a multifunctional nanoplatform, allow the combination of multiple-model imaging techniques and high therapeutic efficacy and have great potential for precision theranostic nanomedicines.

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In this paper, hollow nanospheres (HNSs) of metal oxides (NiO, CuO, and NiO/CuO) coated with a porous carbon shell (HNSs@C) with good structural stability were successfully prepared on the basis of the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. The formation process was based on a template-free method, and the as-prepared HNSs@C are very clean compared with products of the template process. In addition, the results of N adsorption-desorption noted that both the metal oxide HNSs and the coated carbon were mesoporous structures. Therefore, small molecules can access the inner space of the whole HNSs@C, which was expected to increase the active site area and to show better performances in applied fields, such as catalysts and sensors. As an example of the functional properties, the obtained HNSs@C were investigated as the catalyst for the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and manifested highly catalytic activity and excellent stability. This work has opened up a novel route for the development of metal oxide HNSs nanocatalysts. This straightforward method is of significance for development of clean metal oxide HNSs with high stability and multiplied applications.

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