ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the forefront research of utilising carbon nanotubes (CNT) to produce medical and biological tools, including biosensing devices and tissue engineering materials. The feasibility of design of CNT-based biosensing devices, such as nano-transistors or nano-capacitors, is mainly due to the electric properties of CNTs. CNTs were widely studied for their application as materials for bio-engineering, which include two promising areas: biosensing and tissue engineering. The transistor properties of semiconducting and small-band-gap semiconducting CNTs made it convenient to detect the driving force and driving frequency which could be monitored by measuring the conductivity. The special atom structure and electronic structure make CNTs suitable to develop novel devices for the detection of various types of chemicals. The helix structure of CNTs might recognise special chemical molecules. A potential important application of CNTs could be the materials for atomic force scanning microscope probes. The quenching of CNTs' fluorescence can be used as a tool for the detection of target materials.
