Chapter 22 - Synthesis of advanced carbon-based nanocomposites for biomedical application

Abstract

Carbon-based nanocomposites have been extensively studied for a number of years now for various applications. Such studies have been necessitated by the unique chemical and physical properties of nanocomposites that have enabled their applications in a number of areas. Nanocomposites, in general, are best defined as multiphase solid materials in which one of the phases has at least a single dimension with the size of a billionth of a meter (10–9 m). So far different processing techniques have been studied and/or employed for the preparation of carbon-based nanocomposites including noncovalent interaction, covalent reaction, electro and electroless plating, hydrothermal and solvothermal growth, electrochemical and electrophoresis deposition, photochemical reactions, and physical deposition and mixing. Other techniques, particularly for carbon nanotube (CNT)/polymer composites, include melt blending, solution blending, in-situ polymerization, electrospinning, and layer-by-layer assembly. Each method has its advantages and shortcomings. However, the shortcomings in the fabrication of specific nanocomposites can be improved by the adoption of the most suitable methods. This chapter is focused on the synthesis methods for CNT-based nanocomposites and their application in nanomedicine. There is no doubt, over the past decade, CNT-based nanocomposites have been widely studied and/or used in biomedical applications including drug delivery, cancer therapy, biosensing, bioimaging, bacterial inhibition, tissue engineering, and dental applications. However, their uptake and usability are still limited due to paucity of toxicity information and approval from international regulatory bodies. In view of the aforementioned, this chapter focuses on two aspects of CNT-based nanocomposites: First, the synthesis of the materials, and second, their biomedical applications.