Near-Infrared Organic Materials for Biological Applications

In this chapter, we focus on organic materials that interact with near-infrared (NIR) light, as well as their applications in biological sensing, imaging, and theranostics. Section 14.1 briefly introduces some fundamental knowledge on NIR light, NIR organic materials, and their unique advantages in biological applications. Section 14.2 describes the classification of NIR organic materials, mainly covering small molecules, supramolecules, polymers, and covalent-organic frameworks, etc. Some design principles and the corresponding structure-property relationships are further discussed. Section 14.3 briefly reviews some typical biological applications of NIR organic materials in analyte detection, biological imaging, photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), photo-triggered drug release, etc., and explains how the unique molecular structural and optical properties of NIR organic materials benefit their applications. Finally, a short summary, and future research and application prospects are provided in Section 14.4.