Chemically tailored carbon nanotubes as a new toolbox for biomedicine and beyond

摘要

Like molecules of DNA, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can display a variety of structures, but all conductelectrons and feature unique optical properties. In this perspective article, we highlight several recentworks that bridge these two seemingly distant worlds. We illustrate the largely untapped potentialof CNTs for biological research by exploring several developing biomedical applications utilizingnanotube semiconductors, including field effect transistor biosensors that couple high sensitivitywith selectivity, and fluorophores for deep-tissue imaging whose excitation and emissionwavelengths can be tuned throughout the near-IR II window simply by using defect chemistry.