Chemiluminescent Afterglow Material for Enhanced Tumor Diagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy

Abstract Afterglow materials offer great advantages for imaging, including ultra‐long luminescent lifetimes for sustained signal after excitation, high signal‐to‐noise ratios due to minimal tissue autofluorescence interference, and the ability to achieve deep tissue penetration with near‐infrared (NIR) afterglow. AIEgens, known for their potent singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation during photodynamic therapy (PDT), further enhance the approach. Here is the first report on how to integrate AIEgens with chemiluminescent agents for constructing NIR afterglow materials, enabling chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET)‐mediated activation of AIEgens for targeted PDT. DCL/TBQ nanoparticles (NPs) exemplify this promising theranostic design. These NPs exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity toward ONOO⁻, a biomarker associated with tumors, with a low limit of detection (46.1 nm). Additionally, DCL/TBQ NPs boast impressive deep tissue penetration (2 cm) and a remarkable 120‐fold improvement in signal‐to‐noise ratio for tumor afterglow imaging. Most importantly, significant tumor growth inhibition capabilities are demonstrated. This approach holds immense potential for the development of next‐generation theranostic agents, enabling simultaneous tumor diagnosis and treatment with improved accuracy and efficacy.