Visibly Transparent, Near-Infrared Absorbing Nanofluids Enable High-Efficiency and Safe Laser Lithotripsy

Fan, Q.; Chen, J.; Mishra, A.; Bock, M.; Stewart, A.; Cai, C.; Dominguez, J.; Liu, J.; Chen, Y.; Wu, R.; Chen, T.-H.; Huang, J.; Payne, C.; Lipkin, M.; Zhong, P.; Hsu, P.-C.

doi:10.64898/2026.05.31.729132

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.31.729132

Visibly Transparent, Near-Infrared Absorbing Nanofluids Enable High-Efficiency and Safe Laser Lithotripsy

Fan, Q.·Chen, J.·Mishra, A.·Bock, M.·Stewart, A.·Cai, C.·Dominguez, J.·Liu, J.·Chen, Y.·Wu, R.·Chen, T.-H.·Huang, J.·Payne, C.·Lipkin, M.·Zhong, P.·Hsu, P.-C.

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Abstract

Laser lithotripsy (LL) is the gold standard for urinary stone management yet maximizing ablation efficiency while maintaining procedural safety remains clinically challenging. Here, we present a visibly transparent, near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing ITO@SiO2 nanofluid irrigation strategy that significantly enhances LL efficiency without compromising endoscopic visibility. By spectrally matching the absorption profile of ITO@SiO2 with the clinical Holmium:YAG laser wavelength, ablation efficiency improved by >200% in the bench-top spot treatments and >100% in the hydrogel kidney model. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the enhanced optical absorption of the nanofluid modifies bubble dynamics and synergistically amplifies photothermal/microexplosion effects and cavitation damage. Importantly, both in-vitro hydrogel and in-vivo porcine kidney models demonstrated a substantial thermal safety margin (maximum temperatures <35 {degrees}C) and excellent acute biocompatibility, with no evidence of thermal tissue injury. Integrating seamlessly into established clinical workflows without requiring stone pretreatment, this strategy offers a highly translatable, safe, and efficient platform for next-generation endoscopic lithotripsy.

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Fan, Q., Chen, J., Mishra, A., Bock, M., Stewart, A., Cai, C., Dominguez, J., Liu, J., Chen, Y., Wu, R., Chen, T.-H., Huang, J., Payne, C., Lipkin, M., Zhong, P., Hsu, P.-C.. 2026-06-03. Visibly Transparent, Near-Infrared Absorbing Nanofluids Enable High-Efficiency and Safe Laser Lithotripsy. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.31.729132

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