Graphene Oxide: Designing a Functional Smarter Material for Advanced Biomedicine
Abstract
Graphene oxide (GO) has emerged as one of the most extensively studied two-dimensional (2D) materials thanks to its large surface area and abundance of functional groups, which enable applications across energy, catalysis, electronics, construction, and mobility. Its exceptional dispersibility in water further expands its use in the biomedical field. However, researchers have consistently expressed concerns about the limited control over GO's chemical composition and structural heterogeneity. These factors are often overlooked, strongly affecting reproducibility in both synthesis and applications. Because GO is considered a promising platform for advanced drug delivery, achieving reproducible preparation and precise structural control is essential to make it a reliable alternative to the many nanomaterials currently explored for nanomedicine.Motivated by these challenges, our work has focused on identifying and controlling the key parameters that govern GO structure and surface chemistry. Over the past decade, we have developed methods to produce GO with controlled and tunable chemical structures, clarified the reactivity of its major functional groups, and developed robust strategies for post-functionalizing GO with therapeutic agents, targeting ligands, and imaging dyes. In parallel, we have established systematic approaches to evaluate GO's biocompatibility and biodegradability, revealing how specific physicochemical features influence biological responses and clearance pathways.
Together, these findings provide a unified framework linking GO's synthesis, chemical modification, and biological behavior. By integrating chemical control, functional performance, and safety assessment, our work outlines a coherent strategy for the rational design of GO-based biomedical materials. We believe this Account offers a solid foundation for the targeted exploitation of GO in nanomedicine and will help facilitate its eventual clinical translation.
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BibTeX
@article{menardmoyon2026graphene,
title = {{Graphene Oxide: Designing a Functional Smarter Material for Advanced Biomedicine}},
author = {Cécilia Ménard-Moyon and Yuta Nishina and Alberto Bianco},
journal = {Accounts of Materials Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/accountsmr.5c00362},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05770616v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Graphene Oxide: Designing a Functional Smarter Material for Advanced Biomedicine
AU - Cécilia Ménard-Moyon
AU - Yuta Nishina
AU - Alberto Bianco
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Accounts of Materials Research
DO - 10.1021/accountsmr.5c00362
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05770616v1
AB - Graphene oxide (GO) has emerged as one of the most extensively studied two-dimensional (2D) materials thanks to its large surface area and abundance of functional groups, which enable applications across energy, catalysis, electronics, construction, and mobility. Its exceptional dispersibility in water further expands its use in the biomedical field. However, researchers have consistently expressed concerns about the limited control over GO's chemical composition and structural heterogeneity. These factors are often overlooked, strongly affecting reproducibility in both synthesis and applications. Because GO is considered a promising platform for advanced drug delivery, achieving reproducible preparation and precise structural control is essential to make it a reliable alternative to the many nanomaterials currently explored for nanomedicine.Motivated by these challenges, our work has focused on identifying and controlling the key parameters that govern GO structure and surface chemistry. Over the past decade, we have developed methods to produce GO with controlled and tunable chemical structures, clarified the reactivity of its major functional groups, and developed robust strategies for post-functionalizing GO with therapeutic agents, targeting ligands, and imaging dyes. In parallel, we have established systematic approaches to evaluate GO's biocompatibility and biodegradability, revealing how specific physicochemical features influence biological responses and clearance pathways. Together, these findings provide a unified framework linking GO's synthesis, chemical modification, and biological behavior. By integrating chemical control, functional performance, and safety assessment, our work outlines a coherent strategy for the rational design of GO-based biomedical materials. We believe this Account offers a solid foundation for the targeted exploitation of GO in nanomedicine and will help facilitate its eventual clinical translation.
SN - 2643-6728
ER -