Conjugated
polymers have been developed as candidates with great
potential for biological and biomedical applications due to the excellent
properties, including strong light absorption, high photostability,
good biocompatibility, and tunable spectra. By design of the backbone
structure, photothermal polymers can be obtained with narrow band
gaps and high photothermal conversion efficiencies. As promising photothermal
agents, photothermal conjugated polymers have been synthesized to
be water-soluble or in the form of nanoparticles for biological applications
of imaging, phototherapy, and photoactivation. This review summarizes
the recent (2018–2020) progress on photothermal conjugated
polymers with regard to molecular design, preparation, and photothermal
biological applications, especially NIR imaging (fluorescence and
photoacoustic)-guided photothermal therapy and combined therapy for
cancer and antibacterial photothermal therapy. Further challenges
and the outlook for photothermal conjugated polymers in biological
applications are also discussed at the end.