Synthesis of multifunctional rare-earth fluoride/Ag nanowire nanocomposite for efficient therapy of cancer.

Well-dispersed Ag nanowires and PVP-modified BaGdF: Yb, Er spherical nanoparticles were prepared by simple solvothermal and hydrothermal method, and they were further combined to obtain photo-thermal-magnetic multifunctional Ag/BaGdF: Yb, Er nanocomposites. Under NIR laser irradiation, monodispersed rare-earth fluoride BaGdF: Yb, Er in nanocomposite exhibit good upconversion fluorescent. Meanwhile, under the action of an external magnetic field, the nanocomposite also exhibits good magnetic properties and excellent contrast efficiency by CT/MR imaging. The NCs possess good structure and photothermal stability at multiple cycles due to that Ag nanowires are modified by polyvinyl pyrrolidone and sodium citrate. The biocompatibility and low toxicity of NCs are also remarkable. Importantly, the unique linear morphology of Ag particles can achieve high efficiency conversion between light and heat. Furthermore, in vitro tests also confirm the high efficiency of photothermal therapy for cancer cells.