Scientists in China have come up with a green way to reduce graphene oxide so that it can be used in the biomedical field.
The team has used the anticoagulant heparin, a straight-chain anionic glycosaminoglycan and a natural polymer, to reduce and stabilise the graphene oxide. The heparin–reduced graphene oxide sheets show excellent biocompatibility and activity as a blood anticoagulant, according to the researchers. They also say that the heparin–reduced graphene oxide could bind strongly to anticancer drugs for highly efficient loading.
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Green and easy synthesis of biocompatible graphene for use as an anticoagulant
Yi Wang, Pu Zhang, Chun Fang Liu, Lei Zhan, Yuan Fang Li and Cheng Zhi Huang
RSC Adv., 2012, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C2RA00841F, Paper