Black Phosphorus as Multifaceted Advanced Material Nanoplatforms for Potential Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Black phosphorus is one of the emerging members of two-dimensional (2D) materials which has recently entered the biomedical field. Its anisotropic properties and infrared bandgap have enabled researchers to discover its applicability in several fields including optoelectronics, 3D printing, bioimaging, and others. Characterization techniques such as Raman spectroscopy have revealed the structural information of Black phosphorus (BP) along with its fundamental properties, such as the behavior of its photons and electrons. The present review provides an overview of synthetic approaches and properties of BP, in addition to a detailed discussion about various types of surface modifications available for overcoming the stability-related drawbacks and for imparting targeting ability to synthesized nanoplatforms. The review further gives an overview of multiple characterization techniques such as spectroscopic, thermal, optical, and electron microscopic techniques for providing an insight into its fundamental properties. These characterization techniques are not only important for the analysis of the synthesized BP but also play a vital role in assessing the doping as well as the structural integrity of BP-based nanocomposites. The potential role of BP and BP-based nanocomposites for biomedical applications specifically, in the fields of drug delivery, 3D printing, and wound dressing, have been discussed in detail to provide an insight into the multifunctional role of BP-based nanoplatforms for the management of various diseases, including cancer therapy. The review further sheds light on the role of BP-based 2D platforms such as BP nanosheets along with BP-based 0D platforms—i.e., BP quantum dots in the field of therapy and bioimaging of cancer using techniques such as photoacoustic imaging and fluorescence imaging. Although the review inculcates the multimodal therapeutic as well as imaging role of BP, there is still research going on in this field which will help in the development of BP-based theranostic platforms not only for cancer therapy, but various other diseases.

Black Phosphorus, an Emerging Versatile Nanoplatform for Cancer Immunotherapy

“…Due to the existed negative PO 4 3− on BP nanomaterials’ surface, positively charged chemotherapeutic or immunostimulatory agents can be directly loaded onto the surface of nano-scaled BP via electrostatic adsorption for synergistic cancer treatment. Meanwhile, neutral or negatively charged agents can also be loaded on BP nanomaterials after the modification of the payload or nano-scaled BP [ 126 ].…”

“…BP nanomaterials are being widely investigated as an alternative besides conventional nanoplatforms [ 126 ]. Due to its great optical properties, BP nanomaterials have shown promising PTT and PDT effects when exposed to specific laser irradiation during cancer treatment [ 139 ].…”

Recent Advances on 2D Materials towards 3D Printing

“…The fabrication of 3D printed constructs containing carbon-based 2D materials, transition-metal oxides, and transition-metal dichalcogenides, have emerged as new promising resources for multiple biomedical applications, in particular tissue engineering and cancer treatment [115][116][117][118]. On one side, their ability to alter the surface properties of tissue scaffolds and thus improve their biocompatibility and cell affinity make them excellent candidates in tissue engineering.…”

Bovine Serum Albumin-Immobilized Black Phosphorus-Based γ-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites: A Promising Biocompatible Nanoplatform

“…In this aspect, boron nitride, graphite carbon nitride, MXenes, and black phosphorus (BP) were preferred because of their unique physicochemical and biosafety profiles. Among these, BP has been recently used in anticancer, antibacterial, biosensing, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications [ 18 , 20 , 22 ]. The thermodynamic stability of BP at ambient temperature, as well as its non-toxicity, wide band gap range (0.3–2.0 eV), broad absorption property, and ambipolar characteristic make it an ideal candidate for use in biomedicines [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Among these, BP has been recently used in anticancer, antibacterial, biosensing, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications [ 18 , 20 , 22 ]. The thermodynamic stability of BP at ambient temperature, as well as its non-toxicity, wide band gap range (0.3–2.0 eV), broad absorption property, and ambipolar characteristic make it an ideal candidate for use in biomedicines [ 22 , 23 ]. However, despite the enormous biomedical potential of IO and BP, there is limited knowledge of the protein interactions that occur in BP-based IO (hereinafter abbreviated as IB) nanocomposites.…”