Chapter 16 - Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications in Drug-Delivery Systems
Résumé
Nanoparticles are increasingly being considered in the medical field as an effective means to deliver drugs of interest or as diagnostic biosensors. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an allotropic form of carbon related to the fullerene family. Their exceptional thermal, mechanical, and electronical properties together with their tubular shape, offering a high surface area and enabling adsorption or conjugation of a wide variety of therapeutic drugs or diagnostic agents, make CNTs attractive platforms for the treatment of various diseases. This chapter reviews the emerging synthesis, characterization, and and discusses the perspectives and obstacles of these promising nanomedicinal approaches.