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strong fibers will have applications that include body and vehicle armour,
transmission line cables, woven fabrics, and textiles.
There are almost certainly many unanticipated applications for this remark-
able material that will come to light in the years ahead; these future applications
may prove to be the most important and valuable of all. Based on our
experiments, it seems that for cells to ingest the CNTs they need to be mixed in
suitable liquid or some particular ''nutrient'' for the cells. Nanomaterials have
been designed for a variety of biomedical and biotechnological applications,
including bone growth, enzyme encapsulation, biosensors, and as vehicles for
DNA delivery into cells [1]. Whereas nanotechnology may provide novel materials
that can result in revolutionary new structures and devices, biotechnology already
offers extremely sophisticated tools to precisely position molecules and assemble
hierarchal structures and devices. The application of the principles of biology to
nanotechnology provides a valuable route for further miniaturization and
performance improvement of artificial devices. The feasibility of the bottom-up
approach, which is based on molecular recognition and self-assembly properties of
proteins, has already been proved in many inorganic-organic hybrid systems and
devices. Nanodevices with biorecognition properties provide tools at a scale,
offering a tremendous opportunity to study biochemical processes and manipulate
living cells at the single molecule level. The synergetic future of nano- and
biotechnologies hold great promise for further advancement in tissue engineering,
prostheses, genomics, pharmacogenomics, drug delivery, surgery, and general
medicine.
Due to their electrical, chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties, carbon
nanotubes are one of the most promising materials for the electronics, computer,
and aerospace industries. We discuss their properties in the context of future
applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. The purification and chemical
modification of carbon nanotubes with organic, polymeric, and biological
molecules are discussed. Additionally, we review their uses in biosensors, assembly
of structures and devices, scanning probe microscopy, and as substrates for
neuronal growth. We note that additional toxicity studies of carbon nanotubes are
necessary so that exposure guidelines and safety regulations can be established in
a timely manner.
18.2. FUNCTIONALIZATION OF CARBON NANOTUBES
Many CNT applications require handling in a solution phase; however, CNTs have
proven difficult to disperse in solvents. Chemical modification of single-walled
carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is often required for more versatile suspension
capabilities and the enabling of certain applications. This has encouraged greater
exploitation of their intrinsic properties and the capability to modify these proper-
ties. In particular, the functionalization of CNTs is required for their aqueous
suspension and to allow for molecular interactions with biological systems. In
general, different noncovalent and covalent modification strategies can be used.
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