Carbon Nanotubes for Antimicrobial and Antiviral Applications: Immunological Aspects, Developments, and Challenges

Microbial infections, such as multidrug-resistant infections that represent a serious risk to public health, have drastically increased on a global scale. Therefore, the development of novel antimicrobial agents is urgently needed for the treatment of these infections. Nowadays, nanotechnology offers advances in science across a wide range of industries, including medicine, genetics, and infectious diseases. The interaction of nanomaterials with microorganisms is quickly transforming the field of bioengineering by providing benefits for both therapeutic and diagnostic uses. Different organic and inorganic nanoparticles have special physical characteristics that are advantageous for the development of various antiviral and antibacterial agents. Especially, organic nanomaterials have a greater advantage over others due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. Carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene/graphene oxide, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and their nanocomposites, have antibacterial properties. However, their antibacterial properties depend on their structure, functional groups, and some other factors. Considering their potent antiviral and antibacterial properties, functionalized carbon nanotubes show considerable potential in the combat against microbial infections. Carbon nanotubes can play a significant role in the deactivation of microorganisms because of their small size and the ability to pierce bacterial cell walls. They can be single-walled and multi-walled, depending on their number of carbon layers. On the other hand, functionalized carbon nanotubes showed better antimicrobial properties. The recent developments in the antimicrobial and antiviral effects of carbon nanotubes and their nanocomposites are examined in the present chapter. Thereby, in order to shed light on the potential of these nanostructures, we summarize the most significant immunological aspects of diverse viral and microbial infections and discuss key developments and difficulties while using carbon nanotubes for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these infections.