Programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 are two typical immune checkpoints. Antibody-based immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) strategy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 achieved a significant therapeutic effect on cancer. However, due to the impenetrability of antibody drugs and the occurrence of immune-related adverse events, only a minority of patients benefit from this treatment. Peptides multimerization has been widely proved to be an effective method to improve receptor binding affinity through a multivalent synergistic effect. In this study, we report a novel peptide-aggregation-induced emission (AIE) hybrid supramolecular TAP, which can self-assemble into nanofibers through non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonds, with a specific nanomolar affinity to PD-L1 in vivo and in vitro. Combined with near-infrared agents, it can be used for tumor imaging and photothermal therapy, which enables photothermal ablation of cancer cells for generating tumor-associated antigen (TAA) and triggering a series of immunological events. Collectively, our work suggests that synthetic self-assembled peptide nanofibers can be developed as attractive platforms for active photothermal immunotherapies against cancer.

Developing a highly efficient system for solar steam generation (SSG) using a straightforward and eco-friendly method to harvest freshwater is fascinating but challenging. Here, we stir the mixture of brewed tea and HAuCl₄ to prepare Au nanoflowers, possessing broad wavelength light absorption and excellent photothermal effects. After freeze-drying the mixture of Au nanoflowers, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and aqueous polyurethane (PU) emulsion, we obtain three-dimensional (3D) porous structures (CNC-PU-Au) for SSG. The whole process does not involve any sophisticated procedure or produce detrimental by-products. The evaporation rates are 2.24 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹ for pure water and 2.18 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹ for seawater using CNC-PU-Au under one sun. The solar energy conversion efficiency is up to 90.92% under one sun illumination. Besides, CNC-PU-Au shows self-driven salt resistance and durability. In outdoors application for seawater desalination, the maximum evaporation rate can maintain at 2.19 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹ in spring and 3.42 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹ in summer. These unique features promise the utility of CNC-PU-Au in the eco-friendly water treatment industry.