Polymer Nanotubes by Wetting of Ordered Porous Templates

Abstract

We have developed a simple technique for the fabrication of polymer nanotubes with a monodisperse size distribution and uniform orientation. When either a polymer melt or solution is placed on a substrate with high surface energy, it will spread to form a thin film, known as a precur-sor film, similar to the be-havior of low molar mass liquids (1, 2). Similar wetting phe-nomena occur if porous templates are brought into contact with polymer solu-tions or melts: A thin sur-