title: Universal Method to Transfer Membrane-Templated Nano-Objects to Aqueous Solutions.
abstract: A wide range of nano-objects are synthesized by combining template synthesis, using polycarbonate membrane as template, with different material deposition methods. The resulting nanostructures varied from robust inorganic gold nanowires grown by electrodeposition to rigid polypyrrole nanotubes synthesized by chemical polymerization and softer nanotubes made of different combinations of synthetic and natural polyelectrolytes fabricated by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The morphology of these various nano-objects is characterized prior to and after their immersion in water, revealing that the rigidity degree of LbL nanotubes strongly decreases after being in contact with water, leading to highly swollen and flexible nanotubes in aqueous solution that tend to stick to any surface and are very difficult to collect and disperse quantitatively in aqueous solution. Different processes to collect these nano-objects and disperse them in aqueous medium for further analysis and application were then studied. Among them, a method based on simple filtration of nanotubes in the presence of a powdered dextran adjuvant leads to the quantitative collection and dispersion in water of all types of tested cylindrical nano-objects. This universal method to efficiently collect membrane templated nano-objects paves the way to further characterization of a large variety of nanotubes in aqueous solution and to their potential use as cargo nanocarriers or as nanoreactors.
authors.forename: Saghi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saghazadeh
authors.forename: Shouwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lefèvre
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Beulze
authors.forename: Alain M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demoustier-Champagne