03 Fakultät Chemie

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    Designing covalent organic framework‐based light‐driven microswimmers toward therapeutic applications
    (2023) Sridhar, Varun; Yildiz, Erdost; Rodríguez‐Camargo, Andrés; Lyu, Xianglong; Yao, Liang; Wrede, Paul; Aghakhani, Amirreza; Akolpoglu, Birgul M.; Podjaski, Filip; Lotsch, Bettina V.; Sitti, Metin
    While micromachines with tailored functionalities enable therapeutic applications in biological environments, their controlled motion and targeted drug delivery in biological media require sophisticated designs for practical applications. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a new generation of crystalline and nanoporous polymers, offer new perspectives for light‐driven microswimmers in heterogeneous biological environments including intraocular fluids, thus setting the stage for biomedical applications such as retinal drug delivery. Two different types of COFs, uniformly spherical TABP‐PDA‐COF sub‐micrometer particles and texturally nanoporous, micrometer‐sized TpAzo‐COF particles are described and compared as light‐driven microrobots. They can be used as highly efficient visible‐light‐driven drug carriers in aqueous ionic and cellular media. Their absorption ranging down to red light enables phototaxis even in deeper and viscous biological media, while the organic nature of COFs ensures their biocompatibility. Their inherently porous structures with ≈2.6  and ≈3.4 nm pores, and large surface areas allow for targeted and efficient drug loading even for insoluble drugs, which can be released on demand. Additionally, indocyanine green (ICG) dye loading in the pores enables photoacoustic imaging, optical coherence tomography, and hyperthermia in operando conditions. This real‐time visualization of the drug‐loaded COF microswimmers enables unique insights into the action of photoactive porous drug carriers for therapeutic applications.
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    Mixed-length multivariate covalent organic framework for combined near-infrared photodynamic therapy and drug delivery
    (2025) Rodríguez-Camargo, Andrés; Yildiz, Erdost; Juela, Diego; Fischer, Felix Richard; Graf, Daniel; Rath, Bibhuti Bhusan; Ochsenfeld, Christian; Bauer, Matthias; Sitti, Metin; Yao, Liang; Lotsch, Bettina V.
    Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been emerging as versatile reticular materials due to their tunable structures and functionalities, enabled by precise molecular engineering at the atomic level. While the integration of multiple components into COFs has substantially expanded their structural complexity, the strategic engineering of diverse functionalities within a single framework via the random distribution of linkers with varying lengths remains largely unexplored. Here, we report a series of highly crystalline mixed-length multivariate COFs synthesized using azobenzene and bipyridine as linkers, where tuning the ratio of linkers and incorporating palladium effectively modulates the balance between near-infrared (NIR) light absorption and catalytic sites for NIR-generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Capitalizing on the deep tissue penetration of NIR light and the generated H2O2 as reactive oxygen species, as a proof of concept, the optimal mixed-length multivariate COF reduces breast cancer cell viability by almost 90% after 1 h of irradiation in a combined in vitro photodynamic therapy and drug delivery.
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    Upconversion nanoparticle‐covalent organic framework core-shell particles as therapeutic microrobots trackable with optoacoustic imaging
    (2025) Kim, Dong Wook; Wrede, Paul; Rodríguez‐Camargo, Andrés; Chen, Yi; Dogan, Nihal Olcay; Glück, Chaim; Lotsch, Bettina V.; Razansky, Daniel; Sitti, Metin
    Despite the development of various medical imaging contrast agents, integrating contrast signal generation with therapeutic and microrobotic functions remains challenging without complicated fabrication processes. In this study, upconversion nanoparticle‐covalent organic framework (UCNP‐COF) core-shell sub‐micron particles are developed that function as therapeutic microrobots trackable with multi‐spectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) imaging and can be loaded with desired therapeutic molecular agents in a customizable manner. The mechanism of optoacoustic signal generation in UCNP‐COF particles is attributed to the quenching of upconversion luminescence emitted by the UCNPs, which is absorbed by the encapsulating COF and subsequently converted into acoustic waves. Unlike other microparticulate agents previously imaged with MSOT, UCNP‐COF particles do not pose concerns about their stability and biocompatibility. Simultaneously, the mesoporous texture of the COF provides a large surface area, allowing for the efficient loading of various drug molecules, which can be released at target sites. Furthermore, the magnetic UCNP‐COF Janus particles can be magnetically navigated through in vivo vasculature while being visualized in real‐time with volumetric MSOT. This study proposes an approach to design photonic materials with multifunctionality, enabling high‐performance medical imaging, drug delivery, and microrobotic manipulation toward their future potential clinical use.