Threading Polymer into Nanotubes: Evidence of Poly(ethylene oxide) Inclusion in Titanium Oxide

Abstract

We introduce novel materials consisting of hydrated titanium oxide nanotubes filled with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) via a simple synthesis route. MAS NMR, TEM, TGA, PAS-FTIR, and ATR-FTIR measurements provide clear evidence of polymer inclusion in these nanotubes. PEO has been widely studied in the field of solid-state electrolytes, and its behavior in this confined environment shows unusual properties: faster relaxation times (as seen by PFGSE-NMR) and absence of transitions in DSC data, two criteria that hint of a potential enhancement of segmental mobility controlling ion diffusion. Conversely, the polymer serves as an efficient template when the inclusion compound is pyrolyzed to yield well-defined TiO2 nanorods.