Tailoring carbon nanotubes surface for gene delivery applications

Despite promising advantages, the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for biomedical applications is limited due to their low biocompatibility. This study presents the modification of CNTs by plasma polymerization using two different monomers, pentafluorophenyl methacrylate (PFM) and allylamine (AA). We demonstrated that both type of monomers could be polymerized on the CNT surface in a home-built plasma reactor, allowing the formation of CNT-mediated gene delivery vectors. Once polymerized, such polymers provide different properties to the CNT surface enabling the covalent immobilization of the therapeutic gene or its binding through ionic interaction, respectively.