Bioinspired prospects of graphene: from biosensing to energy

Graphene, a new star in materials science and condensed matter physics, has inspired an upsurge in many fields including biological and energy related studies. Although numerous efforts have been made to improve the applications of graphene and graphene-based materials in multiple and cutting-edge fields, bioinspired prospects of graphene and its related properties have attracted attention only very recently and are still in their infancy. This Feature Article will briefly introduce the recent progress in this direction with a focus on cell-related systems and energy-directed applications. The first part of the Feature Article is about graphene-based sensing approaches in living cell systems, including ion and small molecule detection, and living cell recognition. Next we introduce graphene-based novel approaches for cellular drug and gene delivery, photothermal therapy, cell growth and tissue engineering, as well as interesting challenges with bacteria. In the third part, we discuss the recent progress in bio-inspired modification and applications of graphene in energy, such as supercapacitors and microbial fuel cells. Finally, a perspective on the achievements and challenges will be given to conclude this Feature Article.