Fabrication of polyethyleneimine and poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) nanotubes through covalent bond

Nanotubes of Polyethyleneimine (PEI) and Poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) based on the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique and template method through covalent bond have been fabricated. The combination of LbL assembly and the template method can well control the length, wall thickness, outside, and inner diameters of the resulting nanotubes. The formation of covalent between PEI and PSMA enables the nanotubes with a good mechanical stability. The uniform tubular structure has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirms the formation of covalent bond in the assembled nanotubes.