Morphology-driven photothermal performance of polymer-functionalized mos₂ nanoplatforms for targeted therapeutic applications.

In this study, we report the synthesis and photothermal evaluation of polymer-functionalized molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoplatforms with distinct morphologies; three-dimensional (3D) nanoflowers (MNF) and two-dimensional (2D) nanorods (MNR), tailored for targeted drug delivery applications. The MoS₂ nanostructures were synthesized via a hydrothermal route by modulating the sulfur precursor, yielding morphology-dependent growth. The resulting nanostructures were subsequently functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethyleneimine (PEI), producing MNF@PEG@PEI (MFPP) and MNR@PEG@PEI (MRPP) platforms. Comprehensive characterization via FESEM, FTIR, and XRD confirmed the formation of distinct morphologies, effective polymer functionalization through amine and carboxyl groups, and the coexistence of 1T/2H MoS₂ phases. Photothermal properties were evaluated under 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. MFPP demonstrated a photothermal conversion efficiency of 46.86%, significantly higher than the 19.94% observed for MRPP. Moreover, functionalization enhanced the temperature elevation in MNF from 10.2 °C to 14.5 °C, whereas MNR showed minimal improvement (5.0 °C to 5.6 °C). This performance enhancement in MFPP is attributed to its porous, multi-layered architecture, which facilitates higher NIR absorption via multiple internal reflections and active defect sites. These findings highlight MFPP as a promising candidate for photothermal and photoacoustic imaging-guided drug delivery, reinforcing the importance of morphological and surface-engineering strategies in designing next-generation MoS₂-based nanocarriers for cancer therapy.