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Fluorescence and phosphorescence are knowna s two kinds of fundamental optical signals,which have been used for myriad applications.T od ate,s imultaneous activation of stable fluorescence and long-lived room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emission in the aqueous phase remains ab ig challenge.W ep repare zinc-doped silica nanospheres (Zn@SiNSs) with fluorescence and RTPp roperties using af acile hydrothermal synthetic strategy.F or the as-prepared Zn@SiNSs,the recombination of electrons and holes in defects and defect-stabilized excitons derived from oxygen vacancy/ C = Nb onds lead to the production of stable fluorescence and long-lived RTP( emission lasting for % 9s ,q uantum yield (QY): % 33.6 %, RTPl ifetime: % 236 ms). The internal SiÀO bonded networks and hydrophilic surface in Zn@SiNSs can reduce nonradiative decayt of orm self-protective RTP,a nd also provideh igh water solubility,e xcellent pH-and photostability.

In this work, a class of multifunctional silicon–carbon nanohybrids (designated as SiCNs), which simultaneously possess aqueous dispersibility, bright fluorescence (photoluminescence quantum yield [PLQY]: ≈28%), as well as high antibacterial and wound healing activity, is presented. Taking advantage of these unique merits, cell distribution and pharmacological behavior of the SiCNs is first investigated through tracking their strong and stable fluorescence. The high bacteria inhibition ability (≈82.9% killing rate toward S. aureus) and hemostatic effects (shorten the bleeding time from ≈60 to ≈15 s) of the resultant SiCNs are then demonstrated. Moreover, the wound closure promotion activity (10% lead in wound contraction) is systematically demonstrated in vivo, which is especially suitable for wound healing applications. The results suggest the SiCNs as a new kind of high‐performance multifunctional nanoagents suitable for various biological and biomedical utilizations.

HIGHLIGHTS • A kind of multifunctional silicon-based theranostic agent is fabricated and exploited for imaging-guided tumor-targeted photothermal therapy. • The obtained gold nanoparticles-decorated fluorescent silicon nanorods featuring high photothermal conversion performance and good photothermal stability enable a total ablation of tumors and prolong the survival time of mice.

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