Recent Advances in the Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Nanocomposite Hydrogels

Abstract

Hydrogels sensitive to electric current are usually made of polyelectrolytes and undergo erosion, swelling, de-swelling or bending in the presence of an applied electric field. The electrical conductivity of many polymeric materials used for the fabrication of biomedical devices is not high enough to achieve an effective modulation of the functional properties, and thus, the incorporation of conducting materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes and nanographene oxide) was proposed as a valuable approach to overcome this limitation. By coupling the biological and chemical features of both natural and synthetic polymers with the favourable properties of carbon nanostructures (e.g., cellular uptake, electromagnetic and magnetic behaviour), it is possible to produce highly versatile and effective nanocomposite materials. In the present review, the recent advances in the synthesis and biomedical applications of electro-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels are discussed.

Photothermally triggered on-demand insulin release from reduced graphene oxide modified hydrogels

“…Burst release of the therapeutics is often encountered in many polymer and hydrogel based formulations [10,27]. While the photothermal triggered release of insulin was demonstrated by Matteini [10], no details about loading/release capacity as well as on the insulin activity after photo-triggered release were given so far, crucial parameters when it comes to consider therapeutic applications.…”

Anti-Cancerous Potential of Polyphenol-Loaded Polymeric Nanotherapeutics

“…Numerous studies have reported the successful application of graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes in drug delivery for cancer therapy [ 131 ]; however, only a few studies describe their role in the delivery of polyphenols. For instance, a promising modality describes the polyphenol-induced reduction of graphene oxide, resulting in the bond formation between polyphenols and graphene oxide [ 132 ].…”

Safer Production of Water Dispersible Carbon Nanotubes and Nanotube/Cotton Composite Materials

“…All these functionalizations are exohedral derivatizations. A special case is the endohedral functionalization of CNTs, i.e., filling of the tubes with atoms or small molecules [6,32] One of the most common functionalization techniques is the oxidative treatment of CNTs by liquid-phase or gas-phase oxidation, introducing carboxylic (−COOH) groups and some other oxygen-bearing functionalities such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, ester, and nitro groups into the tubes. In this process, CNTs are treated by strong acids, such as refluxing in a mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid [9,10], "piranha" solution (sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide) [11], boiling in nitric acid [12], or treating with oxidative gases, such as ozone [6,33].…”