Modified ZnO nanorods array to form a chemical sensor for neurotransmitters. The interspaces between the nanorods offer highly efficient immobilization of the lipid membrane containing the calixarene, which act as receptor molecule.

The accurate diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer at an early stage is crucial to reduce mortality rates. However, the limited availability of theranostic agents with active tumor-targeting abilities hinders imaging sensitivity and therapeutic efficiency. To address this challenge, we have developed biomimetic cell membrane-modified Fe2O3 nanoclusters implanted in polypyrrole (CM-LFPP), achieving photoacoustic/magnetic resonance dual-modal imaging-guided photothermal therapy of prostate cancer. The CM-LFPP exhibits strong absorption in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm), showing high photothermal conversion efficiency of up to 78.7% under 1064 nm laser irradiation, excellent photoacoustic imaging capabilities, and good magnetic resonance imaging ability with a T2 relaxivity of up to 48.7 s−1 mM−1. Furthermore, the lipid encapsulation and biomimetic cell membrane modification enable CM-LFPP to actively target tumors, leading to a high signal-to-background ratio of ~30.2 for NIR-II photoacoustic imaging. Moreover, the biocompatible CM-LFPP enables low-dose (0.6 W cm−2) photothermal therapy of tumors under 1064 nm laser irradiation. This technology offers a promising theranostic agent with remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency in the NIR-II window, providing highly sensitive photoacoustic/magnetic resonance imaging-guided prostate cancer therapy.