Abstract

Biomedical and biotechnological applications of polymeric nanotubes and nanorods have been of increasing recent research and development interest. Many new methods for the preparation and characterization of these novel nanomaterials have been developed. There are currently intensive research efforts to explore their potential applications in various medical fields, including clinical diagnostic assays, bioseparations, controlled drug delivery, and biosensing. In this paper, different approaches for making polymeric nanotubes and nanorods, and the current status of efforts to develop biomedical and biotechnological applications of these tubular nanostructures will be discussed.

Keywords: Polymeric nanotubes, polymer nanorods, polymer nanostructures, nanomaterials, templated synthesis, alumina membrane templating, electrospinning, layer-by-layer assembly, biofunctionalization