Facile preparation of polymer nanotube using self-assemblied metal nanotube as sacrificial template

摘要

Polymer nanotube (PNT) is a polymer nanomaterial with tubular structure. In this study, we have developed a simple technique for the fabrication of polymer nanotubes by using self-assembled metal organic nanotube (MONT) as a sacrificial template and dendritic amine and acid as precursor molecules. MONT was firstly prepared by the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecule 1 with copper(II) nitrate in methanol. And then, a dendritic amine [tris(2-aminoethyl) amine, tris-amine] was added to a dispersion of MONT in THF. A coating layer of the tris-amine formed on the surface of MONT. The coating layer on the nanotube surface was further cross-linked by an active ester of citric acid. Finally, the self-assemblied template was easily removed in hot ethanol and the PNTs were obtained by filtration. The results showed that the cross-linked polymers form PNTs up to 80% when the amount of the tris-amine is 0.4 molar equivalent of MONT. The lengths of PNTs are about 500nm～3μm, inner diameters are 60 ～ 100 nm and outer diameters are 80 ～ 120 nm.