Bio-inspired hierarchical self-assembly of nanotubes into multi-dimensional and multi-scale structures

As inspired from nature's strategy to prepare collagen, herein we report a hierarchical solution self-assembly method to prepare multi-dimensional and multi-scale supra-structures from the building blocks of pristine titanate nanotubes (TNTs) around 10 nm. With the help of amylose, the nanotubes was continuously self-assembled into helically wrapped TNTs, highly aligned fibres, large bundles, 2D crystal facets and 3D core-shell hybrid crystals. The amyloses work as the glue molecules to drive and direct the hierarchical self-assembly process extending from microscopic to macroscopic scale. The whole self-assembly process as well as the self-assembly structures were carefully characterized by the combination methods of H-1 NMR, CD, Hr-SEM, AFM, Hr-TEM, SAED pattern and EDX measurements. A hierarchical self-assembly mechanism was also proposed.