Porphyrins as efficient ratiometric and lifetime-based contactless optical thermometers

Numerous attempts to develop an efficient anti-cancer agent are focusing on the design of multifunctional objects with synergistic theranostic treatments and minimal side effects. The most prospective treatments which can be used in combination are chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy. To avoid collateral damage, it is important to control local temperature during the treatment procedure. In this work, we demonstrate how free-based and zinc-containing porphyrins can be used as contactless luminescence thermometers. Thermal sensing was provided based on two approaches: ratiometric and lifetime-based techniques. Thermometric performances of suggested temperature sensors including relative sensitivity and temperature resolution were calculated and compared. (c) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.