Applications of Surface Modified Carbon Nanotubes in Drug Delivery

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated for the delivery of various drugs and genetic materials. However, the stability of the CNTs in biological systems has remained a major challenge. Plain CNTs rapidly agglomerate in the physiological buffers and fluids. Therefore, their surfaces are generally modified with a stabilizer which is either physically coated or conjugated covalently. In some investigations, surfaces of the CNTs have also functionalized with a targeting ligand to deliver the drugs to a particular site in the body. This book chapter highlights various processes of surface modification, biocompatible materials that can be used for surface modification, and applications of surface-modified CNTs in the delivery of different therapeutic agents.