Ethylene glycol-mediated synthetic route for production of luminescent silicon nanorod as photodynamic therapy agent

One-dimensional silicon nanorod (SiNR) has attracted considerable interest because of its unique morphology and electronic-optical properties that render SiNRs suitable for a broad spectrum of applications, such as field-effect transistor, drug carrier, solar cell, nanomechanical device, and lithium-ion battery. However, studies aiming to identify a new synthetic method and apply SiNR in the biomedical field remain limited. This study is the first to use an ethylene glycol-mediated synthetic route to prepare SiNR as a multicolor fluorescent probe and a new photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent. The as-prepared SiNR demonstrates bright fluorescence, excellent storage and photostability, favorable biocompatibility, excitation-dependent emission, and measurable quantity of O-1(2) (0.24). On the basis of these features, we demonstrate through in vitro studies that the SiNR can be utilized as a new nanophotosensitizer for fluorescence imaging-guided cancer treatment. Our work leads to a new production process for SiNRs that can be used not only as PDT agents for therapy of shallow tissue cancer but also as excellent, environment-friendly, and red light-induced photocatalysts for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in the future.