Shin Yuyoung, Vranic Sandra, Just-Baringo Xavier, Gali Sai Manoj, Kisby Thomas, Chen Yingxian, Gkoutzidou Alexandra, Prestat Eric, Beljonne David, Larrosa Igor, Kostarelos Kostas, Casiraghi Cinzia
Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.
Nanoscale. 2020 Jun 21;12(23):12383-12394. doi: 10.1039/d0nr02689a. Epub 2020 Jun 3.
The outstanding properties of graphene offer high potential for biomedical applications. In this framework, positively charged nanomaterials show better interactions with the biological environment, hence there is strong interest in the production of positively charged graphene nanosheets. Currently, production of cationic graphene is either time consuming or producing dispersions with poor stability, which strongly limit their use in the biomedical field. In this study, we made a family of new cationic pyrenes, and have used them to successfully produce water-based, highly concentrated, stable, and defect-free graphene dispersions with positive charge. The use of different pyrene derivatives as well as molecular dynamics simulations allowed us to get insights on the nanoscale interactions required to achieve efficient exfoliation and stabilisation. The cationic graphene dispersions show outstanding biocompatibility and cellular uptake as well as exceptional colloidal stability in the biological medium, making this material extremely attractive for biomedical applications.
石墨烯的优异特性为生物医学应用提供了巨大潜力。在此框架下，带正电荷的纳米材料与生物环境表现出更好的相互作用，因此人们对生产带正电荷的石墨烯纳米片有着浓厚兴趣。目前，阳离子石墨烯的生产要么耗时，要么产生稳定性差的分散体，这严重限制了它们在生物医学领域的应用。在本研究中，我们制备了一系列新型阳离子芘，并利用它们成功制备出了带正电荷、水基、高浓度、稳定且无缺陷的石墨烯分散体。使用不同的芘衍生物以及分子动力学模拟，使我们能够深入了解实现有效剥离和稳定化所需的纳米级相互作用。阳离子石墨烯分散体在生物介质中表现出出色的生物相容性、细胞摄取能力以及卓越的胶体稳定性，使得这种材料在生物医学应用中极具吸引力。
