Non-functionalized carbon nanotube binding with hemoglobin

Carbon nanotube has a high potential to be used as a biosensor and drug carrier. However, its binding behavior with proteins needs to be studied before the full potential of carbon nanotube in biological studies can be realized. Although many studies have been conducted to characterize the affinity of functionalized carbon nanotube to various types of proteins, our present study for the first time reported that hemoglobin can bind with non-functionalized carbon nanotube, and this binding can be identified by Raman spectrum. Further, this binding has not changed Raman luminescence with specific excitation and emission wavelengths. The immediate application of these findings is to use non-functionalized carbon nanotube as a biosensor to measure H2S in blood in which hemoglobin takes about 37% of the total blood volume. Other potential uses of non-functionalized carbon nanotube to bind selective groups of proteins are also hinted.