Advantages and Limitations of CNT-Polymer Composites in Medicine and Dentistry

Abstract

The past two decades have seen great technological advancements in the fields of optics, biochemistry, and physics allowing the fundamentals of our own human biology to be understood and controlled. At the forefront of this great understanding lies a tiny structure made of carbon called nanotube. Many studies have demonstrated that peptides, medicinal molecules, and nucleic acids, when bonded to carbon nanotubes, are delivered considerably more safely and effectively into cells than by traditional methods. Two types of carbon nanotubes have been researched for use in biomedical applications. The first is SWNT, single walled and second MWNT, multi-walled nanotube. Shell structures can be used for delivering anticancer drugs to tumors in various parts of the human body. In dentistry, the carbon nanotubes along with polymers prevent shrinkage and dimensional changes in resin and help in better fit at bone implant interface as well as in delivering well-fitting dentures. Evolution of gene therapy, cancer treatments, and innovative new answers for life-threatening diseases on the horizon, the science of nanomedicine has become an ever growing field that has an incredible ability to bypass barriers previously thought unavoidable.