A review on protein functionalized carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely recognized and used for controlled drug delivery and in various other fields due to their unique properties and distinct advantages. Both single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled (MWCNTs) carbon nanotubes are used and/or studied for potential applications in medical, energy, textile, composite, and other areas. Since CNTs are chemically inert and are insoluble in water or other organic solvents, they are functionalized or modified to carry payloads or interact with biological molecules. CNTs have been preferably functionalized with proteins because CNTs are predominantly used for medical applications such as delivery of drugs, DNA and genes, and also for biosensing. Extensive studies have been conducted to understand the interactions, cytotoxicity, and potential applications of protein functionalized CNTs but contradicting results have been published on the cytotoxicity of the functionalized CNTs. This paper provides a brief review of CNTs functionalized with proteins, methods used to functionalize the CNTs, and their potential applications.