Advances in Carbon Nanotubes–Hydrogel Hybrids in Nanomedicine for Therapeutics

In-spite of significant advancement in hydrogel technology, low mechanical strength and lack of electrical conductivity has limited their next level biomedical applications for skeletal muscles, cardiac and neural cells. Host-guest chemistry based hybrid nanocomposites systems have gained attention as they completely overcome these pitfalls and generate bio-scaffolds with tunable electrical and mechanical characteristics. In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNT)-based hybrid hydrogels have emerged as innovative candidates with diverse applications in regenerative medicines, tissue engineering, drug delivery devices, implantable devices, bio-sensing and bio-robotics. Present article is an attempt to recapitulate the advancement in synthesis and characterization of hybrid hydrogels and provide deep insights towards their functioning and success as biomedical devices. The improved comparative performance and biocompatibility of CNT-hydrogels hybrids systems developed for targeted biomedical applications are addressed here. Recent updates towards diverse applications and limitations of CNT hybrid hydrogels is the strength of the review. This will provide a holistic approach towards understanding of CNT based hydrogels and their applications in nanomedicine.