Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to introduce this Special issue of Molecules devoted to the research of nanomaterials aimed for photothermal therapy (PTT). PTT constitutes a promising young strategy for the treatments of several diseases, in particular cancer. PTT is based on the transformation of energy into heat. It encompasses two techniques—hyperthermia and thermal ablation. In the first case, a low or moderate temperature is applied for a long time, whereas in thermal ablation, the patient is subjected to high temperatures, usually around 50 °C for a few min of exposition. PTT requires the co-occurrence of at least a heat-responsive material, the so-called photothermal agents, and an energy source. Laser radiation is an appropriate source for being easily focused on a very specific damaged area without affecting the healthy environment. In particular, the laser of the NIR region (600–1350 nm) is appealing since it covers the well-known biological windows, where light is less absorbed and shows, hence, the deepest penetration in tissues. Much wider is the range of compound candidates to be considered as photothermal agents per se or in combination with other materials. From all these challenging approaches and in view of the promising and broad fields of research related to this subject, we encourage researchers already working in this field or who desire to start working in it to submit their original works for publication in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Joan Estelrich
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Antònia Busquets
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Photothermal agents
• Photothermal ablation
• Photothermal energy conversion
• Theranostic nanomedicine
• Photothermal efficiency
• NIR
• Biological windows