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A novel seamless approach combining first‐principles calculations and electromagnetic device simulations is demonstrated to assess an appropriate compound material, together with an optimized device geometry, for high‐temperature infrared transducers. The electronic structures and dielectric properties of three distinct classes of materials with metallic bonds, ionic bonds, and covalent bonds are theoretically examined, ranging from elemental metals to nitrides, carbides, and borides. Among the representative candidates, CeB6 is identified as the optimal selection since the ab initio theory results show that it exhibits a low‐loss plasmonic response in the near‐infrared region (below 1.7 eV), providing a promising platform for infrared surface plasmon photonics. As a proof‐of‐concept, a metal‐insulator‐metal stripe array is simultaneously designed to examine the potential device applications for photothermal transducers. With this approach, and as a refractory conductor, CeB6 is predicted to be a promising candidate for versatile thermoplasmonic applications. It is believed that our one‐stop material‐device optimization scheme can be readily extended to high‐throughput combinatorial investigations to search for novel compound plasmonic materials and devices in a wider range of existing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Infrared neural stimulation with the assistance of photothermal transducers holds great promise as a mini-invasive neural modulation modality. Optical nanoparticles with the absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) window have emerged as excellent photothermal transducers due to their good biocompatibility, surface modifiability, and tunable optical absorption. However, poor activation efficiency and limited stimulation depth are main predicaments encountered in the neural stimulation mediated by these nanoparticles. In this study, we prepared a targeted polydopamine (PDA)-coated gold (Au) nanoparticles with specific binding to thermo-sensitive ion channel as nanotransducers for second near-infrared (NIR-II) photo-stimulation of neurons in rats. The targeted Au nanoparticles were constructed via conjugation of anti-TRPV1 antibody with PEGylated PDA-coated Au nanoparticles and thus exhibited potent photothermal performance property in the second NIR (NIR-II) window and converted NIR-II light to heat to rapidly activate Ca2+ influx of neurons in vitro. Furthermore, wireless photothermal stimulation of neurons in living rat successfully evoke excitation in neurons in the targeted brain region as deep as 5 mm beneath cortex. This study thus demonstrates a remote-controlled strategy for neuromodulation using photothermal nanotransducers.

Infrared neural stimulation with the assistance of photothermal transducers holds great promise as a mini-invasive neural modulation modality. Optical nanoparticles with the absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) window have emerged as excellent photothermal transducers due to their good biocompatibility, surface modifiability, and tunable optical absorption. However, poor activation efficiency and limited stimulation depth are main predicaments encountered in the neural stimulation mediated by these nanoparticles. In this study, we prepared a targeted polydopamine (PDA)-coated gold (Au) nanoparticles with specific binding to thermo-sensitive ion channel as nanotransducers for second near-infrared (NIR-II) photo-stimulation of neurons in rats. The targeted Au nanoparticles were constructed via conjugation of anti-TRPV1 antibody with PEGylated PDA-coated Au nanoparticles and thus exhibited potent photothermal performance property in the second NIR (NIR-II) window and converted NIR-II light to heat to rapidly activate Ca2+ influx of neurons in vitro. Furthermore, wireless photothermal stimulation of neurons in living rat successfully evoke excitation in neurons in the targeted brain region as deep as 5 mm beneath cortex. This study thus demonstrates a remote-controlled strategy for neuromodulation using photothermal nanotransducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]