Perry T. Yin^†, Shreyas Shah ^‡, Manish Chhowalla ^§, and Ki-Bum Lee ^*†‡∥

^†Department of Biomedical Engineering, ^‡Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, ^§Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ^∥Institute for Advanced Materials, Devices, and Nanotechnology (IAMDN), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States

Correspondence to : Ki-Bum Lee

Graphene is composed of single-atom thick sheets of sp2 bonded carbon atoms that are arranged in a perfect two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice. Because of this structure, graphene is characterized by a number of unique and exceptional structural, optical, and electronic properties.(1) Specifically, these extraordinary properties include, but are not limited to, a high planar surface area that is calculated to be 2630 m2 g^-1,(2) superior mechanical strength with a Young’s modulus of 1100 GPa,(3) unparalleled thermal conductivity (5000 W m^-1 K^-1),(4) remarkable electronic properties (e.g., high carrier mobility [10-000 cm2 V^-1 s^-1] and capacity),(5) and alluring optical characteristics (e.g., high opacity [∼97.7%] and the ability to quench fluorescence).(6) As such, it should come as no surprise that graphene is currently, without any doubt, the most intensively studied material for a wide range of applications that include electronic, energy, and sensing outlets.(1c) Moreover, because of these unique chemical and physical properties, graphene and graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted increasing interest, and, arguably, hold the greatest promise for implementation into a wide array of bioapplications.(7)