Graphene related materials are considered the future revolutionary materials. Graphene and graphene oxide are the most studied members of this carbon family. They are offering the possibility of chemical functionalization that allows exploiting them for many different applications. The intense research activity on potential uses of graphene related materials imperatively needs to be associated to the assessment of their safety profile and fate. In this presentation, I will describe the chemical reactivity of graphene related materials, the effects on human primary cells and the modifications that can be introduced to modulate their fate and biodegradation in view of future biomedical applications.

Graphene related materials are considered the future revolutionary materials. Graphene and graphene oxide are the most studied members of this carbon family. They are offering the possibility of chemical functionalization that allows exploiting them for many different applications. The intense research activity on potential uses of graphene related materials imperatively needs to be associated to the assessment of their safety profile and fate. In this presentation, I will describe the chemical reactivity of graphene related materials, the effects on human primary cells and the modifications that can be introduced to modulate their fate and biodegradation in view of future biomedical applications.