Construction of polymer nanochannels and applications in biosensors and drug delivery

Abstract

Abstract In the past decade, polymer based nanochannel structures have been deeply and extensively explored due to their fast and strong sensitivity in testing ability. Recently, polymers have attracted much attention as the substrate materials of nano channels due to their excellent biocompatibility, low material cost and ease of manufacture. The development of nanochannels capable of detecting ions, small biomolecules and biomacromolecules meet the conditions of combination of multiple surface modification strategies and reliable nano manufacturing technologies. In this paper, the research progress of polymer based nanochannels is reviewed. The topic covered in this work includes the structure, manufacturing technology and functional strategy of nano channels. This review emphasizes various of promising research directions, and discusses the mechanism and principle of different applications such as biosensors and drug delivery. The shortcomings and limitations of some polymer based nano channels in the development and application are also discussed. Finally, views on the future prospects of this research field are presented.