Technological watch

Tantalum?based nanomaterials hold great promise in biomedicine. This review summarizes their unique performance advantages, including electrical and optical properties, radiopacity, and biocompatibility. Meanwhile, it highlights diverse applications in biosensing, medical imaging, tissue engineering, anti?tumor therapy, embolization, and radiation protection, offering a roadmap for clinical translation and integrated theranostic platforms.ABSTRACTFor decades, tantalum has been a cornerstone of surgical implants, highly favored for its excellent chemical stability and biocompatibility. With the emergence of nanotechnology, tantalum?based nanomaterials (TBNs) have become highly promising candidates in biomedical applications due to their adjustable physicochemical and biological properties. However, existing reviews are mostly limited to a single material type or specific application direction, lacking a systematic integration of various TBNs and their diverse biomedical applications. This review systematically summarizes the latest research progress on TBNs. Starting from their performance advantages, it further reveals their significant applications in biomedical applications, including biosensing, medical imaging, tissue engineering, anti?tumor therapy, embolization, and radiation protection. Finally, it summarizes the current challenges and prospects for future development directions, providing an important reference for promoting the clinical translation of TBNs and the design of integrated diagnosis and treatment platforms.