Biomedical applications carbon nanotubes

A. Bianco, K. Kostarelos, C. D. Partidos, and M. Prato, Biomedical applications of functionalised carbon nanotubes, Chem. Commun. (2005) 571-577. 

In recent years, CNTs have been receiving considerable attention because of their potential use in biomedical applications. Solubility of CNTs in aqueous media is a fundamental prerequisite to increase their biocompatibility. For this purpose several methods of dispersion and solubilisation have been developed leading to chemically modified CNTs (see Paragraph 2). The modification of carbon nanotubes also provides multiple sites for the attachment of several kinds of molecules, making functionalised CNTs a promising alternative for the delivery of therapeutic compounds. 

Ajayan et al., 2003). Both single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes have become ideal nanoscale-building blocks for nanoengineering. A lot of studies suggest that CNTs have extensive commercial application potential in medical chemistry and biomedical engineering. 

Polizu S, Savadogo O, Poulin P, Yahia L (2006) Applications of carbon nanotubes-based biomaterials in biomedical nanotechnology. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 6 1883-1904. 

A. A. White, S. M. Best, I. A. Kinloch, Hydroxyapatite-carbon nanotube composites for biomedical applications A review, International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, vol. 4, pp. 1-13, 2007. 

Carbon nanotubes are unique materials with specific properties [42]. There is a considerable application potential for using nanotubes in the biomedical field. However, when such materials are considered for application in biomedical implants, transport of medicines and vaccines or as biosensors, their biocompatibility needs to be established. Other carbon materials show remarkable long-term biocompatibility and biological action for use as medical devices. Preliminary data on biocompatibility of nanotubes and other novel nanostructured materials demonstrate that we have to pay attention to their possible adverse effects when then-biomedical applications are considered. 

Sinha N, Yeow JT-W (2005) Carbon nanotubes for biomedical applications. IEEE Trans Nanobiosci 4 180-195... 

Rey DA, Batt CA, Miller JC (2006) Carbon nanotubes in biomedical applications. Nanotech Law Business 3 263-292... 

Kuznetsov V.I. and Butenko Yu.V. (2003) Synthesis and properties of nanostructured carbon materials nano-diamond, onion-like carbon and carbon nanotubes. In Proceedings of NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Nanostructured Materials and Coatings for Biomedical and Sensor Applications , 4-8 August 2002. Eds. Gogotsi Y.G. and Uvarova I.V. V. 102, IOS Press, p. 187-202. 

The above analysis takes the synthesis methods, the performance affected by the dispersion of CNTs, enhanced physical properties and the latest applications of carbon nanotube/polyurethane composites described in literature reports as the reference point. In the interest of brevity, this is not a comprehensive review, however, it goes through numerous research reports and applications which have been learned and described in the recent years. Despite that, there are still many opportunities to synthesize new carbon nano-tube/polyurethane systems and to modify carbon nanotubes with new functional groups. The possibility of producing modern biomedical and shape memory materials in that way makes the challenge of the near future. 

The most common method for the production of carbon nanotubes is hydrocarbon-based chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [97] and adaptations of the CVD process [98, 99], where the nanotubes are formed by the dissolution of elemental carbon into metal nanoclusters followed by precipitation into nanotubes [100]. The CVD method is used to produce multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) [101] and double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) [102] as well as SWCNTs [103], The biomedical applications of CNTs have been made possible through surface functionalization of CNTs, which has led to drug and vaccine delivery applications [104,105],... 

Nanoparticles are rapidly gaining popularity in biomedical, optical and electronic areas. Zapping tumors with multi-walled carbon nanotubes, solar cells to light-attenuators and chip-to-chip optical interconnects in futuristic circuitry are some of the potential applications. Thus finding novel ways for the synthesis of these new age materials is of paramount interest where radiation chemistry is modesdy playing a role and the chapter on metal clusters and nanomaterials deals with these aspects. 

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