BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOPARTICLES

摘要

Biological applications of carbon nanotubes have been the focus of significant interest since the discovery of these one dimensional carbon allotropes. Indeed, carbon nanotubes have many interesting and unique properties potentially useful in a variety of biological and biomedical systems and devices. Significant progress has been made in the effort to overcome fundamental and technical barriers toward bio-applications, especially on issues concerning the aqueous solubility and biocompatibility of carbon nanotubes and other carbon nano-structures. Potential bio-applications of carbon nanotubes are wide ranging, yet the use of these structures in biosensors has received special attention. One of the key issues in biosensor design is the establishment of fast, unrestricted electron transfer between the enzyme active site and the electrochemical transducer. The latest advances in production of functionalized carbon nanoparticles have been utilized to design third generation of biosensors, where direct electron transfer between the enzyme and the nanoparticle occurs.