Advances in upconversion nanomaterials for tumor phototherapy

Tumor is the main cause of death in human diseases, and the related research on tumor treatment is imminent. Phototherapy can achieve precise positioning and targeted removal of tumors in a non-invasive and minimally invasive manner, which has great potential for clinical application. Upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs) can not only solve the problem of limited eradication of deep tissue tumors in current phototherapy, but also have the advantages of good stability, long life span and low biotoxicity. This article reviews the basic research status of phototherapy and the mechanism and application progress of UCNPs nanocomposites in phototherapy. This review focuses on the structure and composition regulation methods of UCNPs nanocomposites, which provides key points and solutions for the application design of UCNPs nanocomposites in phototherapy, and prospects the research and development in this field.