Improved Biocompatibility of Black Phosphorus Nanosheets by Chemical Modification

Abstract

Black phosphorus nanosheets (BPs) show great potential for various applications including biomedicine, thus their potential side effects and corresponding improvement strategy deserve investigation. Here, in vitro and in vivo biological effects of BPs with and without titanium sulfonate ligand (TiL₄ ) modification are investigated. Compared to bare BPs, BPs with TiL₄ modification (TiL₄ @BPs) can efficiently escape from macrophages uptake, and reduce cytotoxicity and proinflammation. The corresponding mechanisms are also discussed. These findings may not only guide the applications of BPs, but also propose an efficient strategy to further improve the biocompatibility of BPs.

Keywords: biocompatibility; black phosphorus; cell uptake; inflammations; surface modification.