Sensors that can quickly and accurately diagnose and monitor human health are currently at the forefront of medical research. Single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) based optical biosensors are a growing area of research due to the high spatiotemporal resolution of their near infrared fluorescence leading to high tissue transparency and unparalleled sensitivity to analytes of interest. Unfortunately, due to the functionalization requirements of SWNT-based sensors, there are concerns surrounding accumulation and persistence when applied in vivo. In this study, we developed protocols to extract and quantify SWNT from complex solutions and show an 89% sensor retention by hydrogel platforms when implanted in vivo. Animal tissues of interest were also extracted and probed for SWNT content showing no accumulation (0.03 mg l⁻¹ SWNT detection limit). The methods developed in this paper demonstrated one avenue for applying SWNT sensors in vivo without concern for accumulation.

能够快速准确地诊断和监测人类健康的传感器目前处于医学研究的前沿。基于单壁碳纳米管 (SWNT) 的光学生物传感器是一个不断发展的研究领域，因为它们的近红外荧光具有高时空分辨率，从而导致高组织透明度和对感兴趣的分析物无与伦比的灵敏度。不幸的是，由于基于 SWNT 的传感器的功能化要求，在体内应用时存在积累和持久性问题。在这项研究中，我们开发了从复杂溶液中提取和量化 SWNT 的方案，并在植入体内时显示水凝胶平台的 89% 传感器保留率. 还提取了感兴趣的动物组织并探测 SWNT 含量，显示没有积累（0.03 mg l ^-1 SWNT 检测限）。本文开发的方法展示了一种在体内应用 SWNT 传感器而无需担心积累的途径。