# Self‐Trapped Excitons in Carbon Quantum Dots with Large NIR‐II Photo‐Thermoelectric Catalysis Induce Pyroptosis for Cancer Therapy

## TL;DR

Carbon quantum dots with self-trapped excitons trigger pyroptosis and boost immunity for effective cancer therapy under NIR-II light.

## Contribution

Engineering carbon quantum dots with self-trapped excitons for efficient NIR-II photo-thermoelectric catalysis and pyroptosis.

## Key findings

- CQDs with self-trapped excitons show 51.2% photothermal conversion efficiency under NIR-II light.
- The system induces pyroptosis via reactive oxygen species and activates systemic antitumor immunity.
- This approach prevents tumor recurrence and offers a new design principle for nanomaterials in immuno-oncology.

## Abstract

Pyroptosis, an immunogenic cell death mechanism triggered by Gasdermin family proteins, represents a transformative frontier in tumor immunotherapy. While carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have emerged as pyroptosis‐triggering agents, their efficacy in NIR‐II light‐mediated therapy remains constrained by a low absorption coefficient and uncontrolled charge recombination. Herein, CQDs with high‐density self‐trapped excitons (STEs) exhibiting NIR‐II absorption and an exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency of 51.2% are engineered. By optimizing the migration dynamics of hot carriers, directional charge separation is achieved, which generates cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals. The synergistic photo‐thermoelectric catalysis triggers pyroptosis via reactive oxygen species‐caspase 1‐gasdermin D activation, eliciting robust systemic immunity that effectively eliminates the primary tumor and prevents tumor recurrence. This work establishes STE engineering as a universal design principle for advanced nanomaterials while pioneering a NIR‐II‐responsive pyroptosis platform that bridges localized ablation with systemic antitumor immunity, offering a paradigm shift for precision immuno‐oncology.

The self‐trapped excitons in carbon quantum dots can serve as NIR‐II absorbers, which efficiently induce pyroptosis by driving the generation of reactive oxygen species through mild NIR‐II photothermal effect. Combined with local photophysical therapy and the cascade reaction of pyroptosis, it can activate systemic immunity and prevent tumor recurrence. This work provided insights into the development of thermoelectric‐triggered pyroptosis agents.