Graphitic Carbon Nanocages for Cancer Photothermal Therapy

Graphitic carbon nanocages (CNCs) are important carbon-based materials that have been used for cancer photothermal therapy (PTT) in recent years. Compared with carbon nanotubes, CNCs exhibit similar photothermal conversion efficiency but have larger internal cavities. Both the CNC surface and internal cavity can be used for drug loading. To improve the PTT efficiency, drugs (e.g., chemotherapy drugs) are usually incorporated into CNCs. The drug-loaded CNCs upon near-infrared laser irradiation could significantly inhibit tumor growth through dual- or multi-modal therapy. In this chapter, the preparation methods for CNCs, photothermal conversion, and CNCs-mediated cancer PTT under an 808 nm or a 980 nm laser irradiation were discussed.