Effective multifunctional phosphors Zn
3Ga
2SnO
8: Cr
3+, Nd
3+, Gd
3+ with near-infrared (NIR) persistent phosphorescence, photothermal response, and magnetism were fabricated. Such featured materials can act as NIR optical biolabels and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents for tracking early cancer cells, and also as a photothermal therapeutic agent for killing cancer cells. The new multifunctional biomaterial is expected to open a new possibility of setting up an advanced imaging-guided therapy system featuring a high resolution for bioimaging and low side effects for the photothermal ablation of tumors. More information can be found in the Full Paper by Jianrong Qiu, Yang Li et al. on
page 2537 in Issue 18, 2016 (DOI:
10.1002/asia.201600569).