# Borophene Is a Promising 2D Allotropic Material for Biomedical Devices
## 3 Conclusions and Future Insights  
Growing scientific evidence has pointed out that borophene has many overlapping attributes with graphene; their mechanical and chemical characteristics are so similar to be easily comparable, even at a nanometric scale. The similarities with graphene, together with the numerous properties and potential applications previously reported, make borophene a promising 2D allotropic material for biomedical devices (Figure 5). Lately, hydrogel-based carriers, typically consisting of polymeric networks, have moved the challenge forward towards a combination of borophene with graphene for smart and brand-new applications. [PERSON] et al. [30] reported how these two biomaterials, if well integrated, may lead to a mutual improvement in their electrical, mechanical, and biocompatibility properties. The development of new devices based on interactive hybrid materials, involving the combination of graphene, borophene and hydrogel-based polymers, will improve translational research on wearable and implantable biosensors. In fact, hydrogels have already been applied in regenerative medicine, as scaffolds [31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36] and adhesive scaffolds for superficial micro-transducers, thanks to their flexibility, biocompatibility, and molecular structure [34]. Borophene has many interesting properties that certainly makes it strategic in the production of electric and optical biosensors; however, graphene-based appliances are still considered the gold standard in these fields. Borophene coupled with hydrogel-based substrates can be considered a smart and highly sensitive way to transform temperature, pH, and other stimuli into electrical, optical, and mechanical signals (the common bio-detectors used to detect analytes in the blood through the variation of electrical impedance). Thanks to borophene, they will be considerably improved if combined with the right metals [19]. Hybrid biosensors, composed of thin-layered hydrogels and borophene-based strips [37], will be useful in the fabrication of supercapacitors that are highly flexible and therefore usable on user-friendly micro-devices. Furthermore, the high electrical conductivity of borophene will increasingly improve the performances of those new devices, as it is designed to respond to different stimuli simultaneously. Given that the microbiological contamination of medical devices should be carefully considered, the bacteriostatic potential of graphene oxide has been widely evaluated in recent years [34]. Biologically compatible drug-releasing systems containing chips of borophene have also been considered for their antibacterial and theranostic properties. Although the current literature only reports a few authors describing preliminary information about the antibiotic skills of borophene [2; 27; 34], this topic represents a crucial step. In fact, this aspect impacts on at least two stages: the stage where the medical devices are built and produced, and the stage during which the clinicians need to translate the transplantation/application of these appliances in vivo. Future research should investigate the potential issues related to the biomedical applications of borophene in in more depth. A proper approach should primarily consider such protocols that need to take several clinical conditions into consideration, such as syndromic conditions [35; 36; 37; 38] or oncological  
Figure 5: Strategic applications of borophene (BO) in biomedical fields. conditions [39; 40; 41]. Moreover, to translate such cutting-edge applications of borophene, scientists will need to perform more in-depth studies, especially on the durational stability and cytotoxic effects of borophene, with specific attention to its behavior when in close contact with biological tissues. Finally, interactions with external substances, such as smoking metabolites [42] or metallic appliances [43], should be carefully and preventively considered before clinical use. In conclusion, borophene is a promising biomaterial.