Carbon nanostructures have enticed significant attention in biomedical areas
over the past few decades owing to their unique electrical, physical, and optical
features, biocompatibility, and versatile functionalization chemistry. These
nanostructures can be categorized into diverse groups based on their morphology,
including fullerenes, nanotubes (e.g., single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and
multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)), nanodiamonds, nanodots, graphite, and
graphene derivatives. Emerging biomedical trends indicate the usefulness of carbon
nanostructures in gene/drug delivery, cancer theranostics, and tissue engineering and
regenerative medicine, either alone or in combination with other biocompatible
materials. This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of various types of carbon
family nanostructures and their characteristics. We further highlight how these
properties are being utilized for various medical applications.
Keywords: Biocompatibility, Biomedical imaging, Cancer therapy, Carbon nanostructure, Drug delivery, Gene delivery, Graphene, Graphite, Fullerenes, Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), Nanodiamonds, Nanodots, Scaffold, Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), Tissue engineering.
