title: Biodegradation of Carbon Nanotubes, Graphene, and Their Derivatives.
abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene (GRA), and their derivatives are promising materials for a wide range of applications such as pollutant removal, enzyme immobilization, bioimaging, biosensors, and drug delivery and are rapidly increasing in use and increasingly mass produced. The biodegradation of carbon nanomaterials by microbes and enzymes is now of great importance for both reducing their toxicity to living organisms and removing them from the environment. Here we review recent progress in the biodegradation field from the point of view of the primary microbes and enzymes that can degrade these nanomaterials, along with experimental and molecular simulation methods for the exploration of nanomaterial degradation. Further efforts should primarily aim toward expanding the repertoire of microbes and enzymes and exploring optimal conditions for the degradation of nanomaterials.
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, China; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798. Electronic address: xsqin@ntu.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Xiaosheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D001711:Biotransformation / Q000502:physiology; D006108:Graphite / Q000378:metabolism*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D006108:Graphite
keywords: biodegradation; carbon nanotube; enzyme.; graphene; graphene oxide; microbe