Carbon Nanomaterials for Photothermal Therapies

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the carbon nanomaterials useful for photothermal therapy (PTT) and their current PTT applications. Graphene oxide (GO), a two-dimensional carbon nanomaterial, has been studied as a nanomedicine for biomedical applications. Carbon nanohorns (CNHs) are capable of absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light, leading to significant photothermal effects. This characteristic enhances their biomedical applications, including those in PTT. Compared with the biocompatibility of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), carbon dots (CDs) and graphene dots (GDs) are superior for biomedical applications, and they are also suitable for drug loading and PTT. The potential of functional fullerenes has been demonstrated in cancer treatment, including photodynamic therapy, PTT, and chemotherapy, and tumor diagnosis. Nanocomposites are most often used to achieve enhanced PTT effects and develop multifunctional nanomedicines and are synthesized accordingly. Carbon nanotubes (NTs), which are excellent photothermal agents, can act as potential adjuvants for the activation of natural and adaptive immune responses.