Graphene: A Promising Candidate for Biomedical Use

As a new two-dimensional nanomaterial composed of sp2 carbon atom, graphene has unique electrical, optical and mechanical properties. At present, the research on graphene and its derivatives is mainly concentrated in the field of physics research. The chemical and material science research of graphene is also developing rapidly, and the research work of graphene in biomedicine field has just begun. Graphene oxide is a derivative of graphene, which has a high specific surface area and a rich functional group: the bottom surface contains a hydroxyl group and an epoxy group, and the edge contains a carboxyl group. These functional groups impart good hydrophilicity, dispersibility and biocompatibility to graphene oxide, are easy to modify and functionalize, and combined with their excellent optical properties, make graphene oxide have broad application prospects in the biomedical field. We herein briefly describe the recent advances in graphene, especially graphene oxide, in the biological and medical fields, including targeted drug delivery, cell imaging, bioassays, oncology, and graphene biosafety.