A comprehensive review on the biomedical frontiers of nanowire applications

Abstract

This comprehensive review examines the immense capacity of nanowires, nanostructures characterized by unbounded dimensions, to profoundly transform the field of biomedicine. Nanowires, which are created by combining several materials using techniques such as electrospinning and vapor deposition, possess distinct mechanical, optical, and electrical properties. As a result, they are well-suited for use in nanoscale electronic devices, drug delivery systems, chemical sensors, and other applications. The utilization of techniques such as the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) approach and template-assisted approaches enables the achievement of precision in synthesis. This precision allows for the customization of characteristics, which in turn enables the capability of intracellular sensing and accurate drug administration. Nanowires exhibit potential in biomedical imaging, neural interfacing, and tissue engineering, despite obstacles related to biocompatibility and scalable manufacturing. They possess multifunctional capabilities that have the potential to greatly influence the intersection of nanotechnology and healthcare. Surmounting present obstacles has the potential to unleash the complete capabilities of nanowires, leading to significant improvements in diagnostics, biosensing, regenerative medicine, and next-generation point-of-care medicines.

Keywords: Biomedical; Contents; Drug delivery; NWs; Nanowires; Synthesis.

Fig. 1

Synthesis of Nanowire and Electrochemical Method used for different kinds of nanowires.

Fig. 2

VLS mechanism for the growth of NWs [119].

Fig. 3

(a) Precursor schematic diagram; annealed Al2O3-film/Si; LPCVD system schematic diagram. (b) The Ga2O3 nanowire growth mechanism [135].

Fig. 4

A schematic representation of template synthesis method [144].

Fig. 5

Electrochemical deposition for the growth of Silicon NWs [163].

Fig. 6

Schematic illustration of deposition Fe/Mn multilayer NWs array [177].

Fig. 7

Solvothermal synthesis of ultra-fine silver nanowires [189].

Fig. 8

Diagrammatic depiction of material synthesis utilizing various template types [198].

Fig. 9

SEM image of a nanowire array, illustration of geometry parameter [199].

Fig. 10

Methods of bottom-up synthesis. A) Segmented nanowires grown in the vapor phase via the VLS process; controlled compositional changes are achieved by modulating the gaseous precursor. B) Electrochemical deposition of nanowires growing in the solution phase into anodic aluminum oxide (AAO). It is possible to segment data similarly [200].

Fig. 11

(a) The poly-Si NWFET schematic representation. (b–e) An A–A′ direction flowchart showing the steps involved in creating nanowires. (f) Poly-Si NWFET cross-sectional structure in the B–B direction [273].

Fig. 12

Diagram showing how to operate the COVID-19 FET sensor schematically. SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody is conjugated onto the graphene sheet using 1-pyrene butyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, an interfacing molecule acting as a probe linker after graphene is chosen as the sensing material [278].

Fig. 13

Different types of stimulus in nanowires are responsible for targeted drug release.

Fig. 14

Nanowire in wound healing.

Fig. 15

Methods used in the scaffold manufacturing process.

Fig. 16

Nanowire electronics: From nanoscale to macroscale [529].

Fig. 17

Conceptual overview of field effect transistors (FET) (adopted with permission from. (A)Schematics illustrating the differences between standard and nanowire field-effect transistors. (B) An overview of the functionalization process of the nanowire. (C) Illustrates the operating principles of nanowire sensors. The nanowire sensors are fabricated using (D) the bottom-up approach and (E) the top-down approach [535].

Fig. 18

Regulatory and ethical issues raised by the utilization of nanomaterials [548].