Biocompatible Dispersants for Carbon Nanomaterials

Abstract

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) are a fascinating class of materials that have gained considerable interest in recent years. Their favourable biocompatibility, combined with unique chemical and mechanical properties, has attracted scientists from various disciplines. A significant hurdle in their deployment in biomedical applications is their hydrophobicity in their pristine form. This review surveys and discusses existing non-covalent methods of functionalising CNMs with biocompatible dispersants to facilitate their incorporation into aqueous solutions. Different types of dispersants will be examined and compared as well as the factors affecting their efficiency. This work seeks to provide a compilation of the various methods employed in producing biocompatible CNM dispersions.

Bimodal modulation of in vitro angiogenesis with photoactive polymer nanoparticles

“…41 Pluronic® block copolymers have been widely used to enhance the biocompatibility, water solubility and stability of drug delivery systems, upconversion NPs and innovative nanocarriers. 42,43 In particular, Pluronic® F127 was successfully employed for the fabrication of stable water dispersions of carbon nanomaterials 44 and conjugated polymer NPs, 41,45 including PTB7 NPs. 46 Fig.…”

Machine learning methods for aerosol synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes

“…For instance, SWCNT powder might serve as reinforcement and conductive additives in polymers [12]. Most of the bio-applications (including in vivo ones) require development of stable dispersion of individual SWCNTs using surface-active compounds to prevent agglomeration [13]. At the same time, strong van der Waals interaction [14] in graphitic systems enables formation of nanotube-based macroscopic structures such as aerogels, films, fibers, and yarns [15][16][17].…”

Supramolecular Functionalisation of B/N Co-Doped Carbon Nano-Onions for Novel Nanocarrier Systems

“…Although CNOs are biocompatible [ 15 ], a significant drawback to their deployment in biological systems is their hydrophobicity, similar to other carbon nanomaterials [ 16 ]. Although CNOs can be dispersed in organic solvents, they can still form aggregates in solution [ 17 ].…”