Abstract
Piezocatalytic therapy (PCT) based on 2D layered materials has emerged as a promising non-invasive tumor treatment modality, offering superior advantages. However, a systematic investigation of PCT, particularly the mechanisms underlying the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by 2D nanomaterials, is still in its infancy. Here, for the first time, biodegradable piezoelectric 2D bilayer nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) nanosheets (thickness of ≈1.86 nm) are reported for enhanced PCT and ferroptosis. Under ultrasound irradiation, the piezoelectric semiconducting NiFe-LDH exhibits a remarkable ability to generate superoxide anion radicals, due to the formation of a built-in electric field that facilitates the separation of electrons and holes. Notably, the significant excitonic effect in the ultrathin NiFe-LDH system enables long-lived excited triplet excitons (lifetime of ≈5.04 µs) to effectively convert triplet O(2) molecules into singlet oxygen. Moreover, NiFe-LDH exhibited tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive peroxidase (POD)-like and glutathione (GSH)-depleting capabilities, further enhancing oxidative stress in tumor cells and inducing ferroptosis. To the best of knowledge, this is the first report on piezoelectric semiconducting sonosensitizers based on LDHs for PCT and ferroptosis, providing a comprehensive understanding of the piezocatalysis mechanism and valuable references for the application of LDHs and other 2D materials in cancer therapy.