We developed a polymer coating for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that mimics the mucin glycoprotein coating of mammalian cells. CNTs coated with these mucin mimic polymers have two novel properties: they can bind to carbohydrate receptors, providing a means for biomimetic interactions with cell surfaces, and, importantly, they are rendered nontoxic to cells.

Protective coatings: Glycodendrimers can function as homogeneous bioactive coatings that mitigate the cytotoxicity of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The bifunctional glycodendrimers (see picture) have peripheral carbohydrate units and a pyrene tail capable of binding SWNT surfaces through π–π interaction. Cells cultured with glycodendrimer‐coated SWNTs proliferate at the same rate as untreated cells.

The structural, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have stimulated considerable interest in their biological applications [1][2][3]. SWNTs have been employed for biosensing [4], imaging [5], intracellular delivery [6], and cancer cell targeting [7,8]. However, expanded use of SWNTs in living systems will require strategies to diminish their cytotoxicity [9][10][11][12]. Thus, surface modifications that mitigate the toxicity of SWNTs while simultaneously enabling specific biological recognition are highly sought after [8,[13][14][15][16][17].A promising avenue we have recently explored is to coat SWNTs with synthetic glycopolymers that mimic glycoproteins found on cell surfaces [16,17]. We demonstrated [**] This work was supported by the