Future trends in carbon nanotubes: Process towards a viable biomedical solution

Abstract

Recently, Nanomaterials based nano-composite materials play the role of various field. Especially, Carbon nanotube based materials are involved in the bio-medical applications.Since, their exclusive and exciting property, researchers worldwide have extensively involved in trans-modulating the carbon nanotubes into a viable medico-friendly system. These active researches paved the path towards targeted drug delivery, diagnostic techniques, and bio-analytical applications. Despite these exciting properties, which accomplish the probable for biomedical applications, they hold Biosafety issues. This broad-spectrum review has discussed different aspects of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube-based systems related to biomedical applications. Adding to this, a short chronological description of these tiny yet powerful particles given, followed by a discussion regarding their types, properties, methods of synthesis, scale-up, purification techniques and characterization aspects of carbon nanotubes. In the later part, the functionalization of carbon nanotubes was reviewed in detail, which is important to make them biocompatible and stable in biological systems and render them a great property of loading various biomolecules diagnostic and therapeutic moieties. Lastly, an inclusive description of the potential biomedical applications has been given followed by insights into the future.