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Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes
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Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2023) | Viewed by 19123

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elzbieta Pach

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB—CSIC), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Interests: carbon nanotubes; targeted drug delivery; electron microscopy; one- and two-dimensional nanostructured materials; radioactivity; biomedical imaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The assortment of remarkable mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) puts them in the center of interest for various industrial applications. There is a growing interest in CNTs for electro-optical applications, composite industry, biomedicine, aerospace and defense sector (EMI-shielding), battery storage, paints and adhesives, and much more.

The focus of this Issue, however, will be on one of the most interesting fields of application of CNTs, which is nanomedicine. Because of their unique structure, often reffered to as a rolled graphene sheet, CNTs offer a versatile platform for the construction of a wide range of functional composites. For example, their inner cavity may be filled with a range of materials suitable for drug delivery, radiotherapy, or bioimedical imaging, while their outer walls may be functionalized with biologically and biotechnologically relevant molecules, such as proteins, targeting antibodies, contrast agents, or other moieties providing specific functionalities. During the last years, many in-vivo and in-vitro studies have shown remarkeble biocompatibility and non-toxicity for functional CNTs created for biomedical applications, the two most important considerations to have in mind while designing such nanocomposites.

Dr. Elzbieta Pach
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • carbon nanotubes
  • biomedicine
  • nanomedicine
  • drug delivery
  • biomarkers
  • nanocarriers
  • biosensors
  • radiotherapy
  • biomedical imaging
  • composite materials
  • functionalized carbon nanotubes
  • biocompatibility
  • toxicity
  • in-vivo
  • in-vitro

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2581 KiB  
Article
The Role of Graphene Monolayers in Enhancing the Yield of Bacteriorhodopsin Photostates for Optical Memory Applications
by Roma Patel, Gregory Salamone and Isaac Macwan
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9698; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11209698 - 18 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2066
Abstract
Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a photoactive protein that has gained increasing importance as a tool for optical memory storage due to its remarkable photochemical and thermal stability. The two stable photostates (bR and Q) obtained during the bR photocycle are appropriate to designate the [...] Read more.
Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a photoactive protein that has gained increasing importance as a tool for optical memory storage due to its remarkable photochemical and thermal stability. The two stable photostates (bR and Q) obtained during the bR photocycle are appropriate to designate the binary bit 0 and 1, respectively. Such devices, however, have limited success due to a low quantum yield of the Q state. Many studies have used genetic and chemical modification as optimization strategies to increase the yield of the Q state. Nonetheless, this compromises the overall photochemical stability of bR. This paper introduces a unique way of stabilizing the conformations of bacteriorhodopsin and, thereby, the bR and Q photostates through adsorption onto graphene. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with NAMD and CHARMM force fields have been used here to understand the interactive events at the interface of the retinal chromophore within bR and a single-layer graphene sheet. Based on the stable RMSD (~4.5 Å), secondary structure, interactive van der Waals energies (~3000 kcal/mol) and electrostatic energies (~2000 kcal/mol), it is found that the adsorption of bR onto graphene can stabilize its photochemical behavior. Furthermore, the optimal adsorption distance for bR is found to be ~4.25 Å from the surface of graphene, which is regulated by a number of interfacial water molecules and their hydrogen bonds. The conformations of the key amino acids around the retinal chromophore that are responsible for the proton transport are also found to be dependent on the adsorption of bR onto graphene. The quantity and lifetime of the salt bridges also indicate that more salt bridges were formed in the absence of graphene, whereas more were broken in the presence of it due to conformational changes. Finally, the analysis on the retinal dihedrals (C11 = C12-C13 = C14, C12-C13 = C14-C15, C13 = C14-C15 = NZ and C14-C15 = NZ-CE) show that bacteriorhodopsin in the presence of graphene exhibits increased stability and larger dihedral energy values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes)
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16 pages, 2287 KiB  
Article
Laser Technology for the Formation of Bioelectronic Nanocomposites Based on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Proteins with Different Structures, Electrical Conductivity and Biocompatibility
by Alexander Yu. Gerasimenko, Uliana E. Kurilova, Irina A. Suetina, Marina V. Mezentseva, Aleksandr V. Zubko, Marina I. Sekacheva and Olga E. Glukhova
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 8036; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11178036 - 30 Aug 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1991
Abstract
A laser technology for creating nanocomposites from alternating layers of albumin/collagen proteins with two types of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) at concentrations of 0.001 and 0.01 wt.% was proposed. For this purpose, a setup with a diode laser (810 nm) and feedback system [...] Read more.
A laser technology for creating nanocomposites from alternating layers of albumin/collagen proteins with two types of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) at concentrations of 0.001 and 0.01 wt.% was proposed. For this purpose, a setup with a diode laser (810 nm) and feedback system for controlling the temperature of the area affected by the radiation was developed. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine a decrease in the defectiveness of SWCNT with an increase in their concentration in the nanocomposite due to the formation of branched 3D networks with covalent bonds between nanotubes. It was revealed that adhesion of proteins to branched 3D networks from SWCNT occurred. The specific electrical conductivity of nanocomposites based on large SWCNT nanotubes was 3.2 and 4.3 S/m compared to that for nanocomposites based on small SWCNT with the same concentrations—1.1 and 1.8 S/m. An increase in the concentration and size of nanotubes provides higher porosity of nanocomposites. For small SWCNT-based nanocomposites, a significant number of mesopores up to 50 nm in size and the largest specific surface area and specific pore volume were found. Nanocomposites with small SWCNT (0.001 wt.%) provided the best cardiac fibroblast viability. Such technology can be potentially used to create bioelectronic components or scaffolds for heart tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes)
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15 pages, 6260 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Behavior of Bi-Layer and Dispersion Coatings Composed of Several Nanostructures on Ti Substrate
by Dorota Rogala-Wielgus, Beata Majkowska-Marzec, Andrzej Zieliński and Bartłomiej J. Jankiewicz
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 7862; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177862 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2094
Abstract
Three coatings suitable for biomedical applications, including the dispersion coating composed of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), MWCNTs/TiO2 bi-layer coating, and MWCNTs-Cu dispersion coating, were fabricated by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on Ti Grade II substrate. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, [...] Read more.
Three coatings suitable for biomedical applications, including the dispersion coating composed of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), MWCNTs/TiO2 bi-layer coating, and MWCNTs-Cu dispersion coating, were fabricated by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on Ti Grade II substrate. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and nanoindentation were applied to study topography, chemical, and phase composition, roughness, hardness, Young’s modulus, plastic, and elastic behavior. The results showed that the best mechanical properties in terms of biomedical application were achieved for the MWCNTs coating with titania outer layer. Nevertheless, both the addition of nanocopper and titania improved the mechanical resistance of the base MWCNTs coating. Compared to our previous experiments on Ti13Nb13Zr alloy, a general tendency is observed to form more homogenous coatings on pure metal than on the alloy, in which chemical and phase compositions are more complex. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes)
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15 pages, 2734 KiB  
Article
Optimizing CNT Loading in Antimicrobial Composites for Urinary Tract Application
by Marisa Gomes, Luciana C. Gomes, Rita Teixeira-Santos, Manuel F. R. Pereira, Olívia S. G. P. Soares and Filipe J. Mergulhão
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4038; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094038 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2797
Abstract
Several methodologies have been implemented with the intent of preventing or reducing the formation of biofilms on indwelling urinary devices. The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the biomedical field has been increasing, particularly in the production of antimicrobial and antifouling coatings. Despite [...] Read more.
Several methodologies have been implemented with the intent of preventing or reducing the formation of biofilms on indwelling urinary devices. The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the biomedical field has been increasing, particularly in the production of antimicrobial and antifouling coatings. Despite their proven antimicrobial properties, their use as coating materials for urinary tract devices (UTDs) is still poorly documented. In the present work, CNT/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) composite materials containing different CNT loadings were prepared and further tested against Escherichia coli under conditions prevailing in UTDs. Besides CNT loading optimization, textural modifications were also introduced on the surface of CNTs to improve the antibiofilm properties of the final composites. Material characterization included the textural evaluation of CNTs and the assessment of surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy, while the surface hydrophobicity was determined by contact angle measurements. Biofilm analysis was performed by determining the number of culturable and total cells and by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results revealed that, by filling the PDMS matrix with 3 wt% CNT loading, a significant reduction in cell culturability (39%) can be achieved compared to PDMS. Additionally, the textural modifications induced by ball-milling treatment proved to be effective on the inhibition of biofilm formation, reducing the amount of biofilm per surface area, biofilm thickness and surface coverage in 31, 47 and 27%, respectively (compared to surfaces where CNTs were not ball-milled). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes)
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Review

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17 pages, 1774 KiB  
Review
Dark-Field Hyperspectral Microscopy for Carbon Nanotubes Bioimaging
by Ilnur Ishmukhametov and Rawil Fakhrullin
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(24), 12132; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112412132 - 20 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4093
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes have emerged as a versatile and ubiquitous nanomaterial, finding applications in industry and biomedicine. As a result, biosafety concerns that stimulated the research focused on evaluation of carbon nanotube toxicity. In addition, biomedical applications of carbon nanotubes require their imaging and [...] Read more.
Carbon nanotubes have emerged as a versatile and ubiquitous nanomaterial, finding applications in industry and biomedicine. As a result, biosafety concerns that stimulated the research focused on evaluation of carbon nanotube toxicity. In addition, biomedical applications of carbon nanotubes require their imaging and identification in biological specimens. Among other methods, dark-field microscopy has become a potent tool to visualise and identify carbon nanotubes in cells, tissues, and organisms. Based on the Tyndall effect, dark-field optical microscopy at higher magnification is capable of imaging nanoscale particles in live objects. If reinforced with spectral identification, this technology can be utilised for chemical identification and mapping of carbon nanotubes. In this article we overview the recent advances in dark-field/hyperspectral microscopy for the bioimaging of carbon nanotubes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes)
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22 pages, 45823 KiB  
Review
Carbon Nanotubes-Based Hydrogels for Bacterial Eradiation and Wound-Healing Applications
by Tejal V. Patil, Dinesh K. Patel, Sayan Deb Dutta, Keya Ganguly, Aayushi Randhawa and Ki-Taek Lim
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9550; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11209550 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 5174
Abstract
Biocompatible nanomaterials have attracted enormous interest for biomedical applications. Carbonaceous materials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have been widely explored in wound healing and other applications because of their superior physicochemical and potential biomedical properties to the nanoscale level. CNTs-based hydrogels are widely used [...] Read more.
Biocompatible nanomaterials have attracted enormous interest for biomedical applications. Carbonaceous materials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have been widely explored in wound healing and other applications because of their superior physicochemical and potential biomedical properties to the nanoscale level. CNTs-based hydrogels are widely used for wound-healing and antibacterial applications. CNTs-based materials exhibited improved antimicrobial, antibacterial, adhesive, antioxidants, and mechanical properties, which are beneficial for the wound-healing process. This review concisely discussed the preparation of CNTs-based hydrogels and their antibacterial and wound-healing applications. The conductive potential of CNTs and their derivatives is discussed. It has been observed that the conductivity of CNTs is profoundly affected by their structure, temperature, and functionalization. CNTs properties can be easily modified by surface functionalization. CNTs-based composite hydrogels demonstrated superior antibacterial potential to corresponding pure polymer hydrogels. The accelerated wound healing was observed with CNTs-based hydrogels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Carbon Nanotubes)
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