This paper introduces a simple chemical etching method to prepare borophene with a strong near-infrared (NIR) light-induced photothermal effect, similar to plasmonic gold nanoparticles but with the advantage of biodegradability. Ultrathin and large borophene nanosheets are obtained from AlB₂ precursor. The authors demonstrate selective etching behavior of HCl and HF on AlB₂, and show that surface modification with polydopamine (PDA) creates a biocompatible nanoplatform (B@PDA) with enhanced cellular uptake. B@PDA is demonstrated to be suitable for photothermal theranostics of thick tumors using deep-penetrating NIR light, offering a safer alternative to non-degradable gold nanoparticles.

Zhongjian Xie, Yanhong Duo, Taojian Fan, Yao Zhu, Shuai Feng, Chuanbo Li, Honglian Guo, Yanqi Ge, Shakeel Ahmed, Weichun Huang, Huiling Liu, Ling Qi, Rui Guo, Defa Li, Paras N. Prasad, Han Zhang