Photothermal, ultra-thin, and biocompatible carbon nanotube/silk nanofiber membrane

Ultrathin and biocompatible heating systems offer several advantages in thermotherapy and thermal imaging applications. Here, we report a biocompatible, ultrathin, and optically activated single-wall carbon nanotube (CNT) coated silk nanofiber (SNF) heating system. The CNT/SNF membrane heater showed a broadband absorption in the UV–Vis range that was intrinsic to metallic CNTs in the sample. The photothermal properties of the CNT/SNF membranes have been studied with different illuminating wavelengths. The membrane heater showed significant heating behavior with the maximum temperature rise of 67 °C when illuminated with the wavelength of 532 nm and with the optical power of 45 mW. The temperature rises and decay constants for the heating systems were extracted to be 10.2 and 5.9 s at an illuminating wavelength of 532 nm, respectively. The faster heating and cooling behaviors emphasize their potential applications in thermotherapy and biomedical imaging.