8 - Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites in biomedical applications

Abstract

The increasing demand and interest in biomedical applications have elicited numerous state-of-the-art researches on a wide range of materials, structures, and fabrication procedures. A very intriguing class of materials utilized for such purpose is graphene-based polymer nanocomposites. They have shown a great promise in biomedical applications thanks to their superior physical, mechanical, and biological properties, structure adjustability, mass-production capability, and fabrication versatility. In this chapter, recent advances in development of novel graphene-based nanocomposites and their potentials in biomedical applications are presented. Various fabrication methods are considered in the way to prepare the highly-efficient polymer-graphene nanocomposites. It is shown that how incorporation of graphene-based nanostructures in both natural and synthetic polymers would tailor their mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, cell proliferation and viability, drug and gen delivery, and (electro)chemical responsiveness. The potential applications of the broad family of polymer-graphene nanocomposites in biosensors, antimicrobial applications, drug delivery, and tissue engineering are extensively reviewed. Finally, the future perspective of the promising graphene-based polymer nanocomposites applicable to biomedical science and engineering are described.