Novel method for the synthesis of conjugated polymer — Single-wall carbon nanotube nanowires

We report on the preparation of hollow nanofibers formed from an organic polymer - carbon nanotube blend via spin-coating assisted template-synthesis. A femtosecond laser machined fused silica template, with a micro-patterned array of high-aspect ratio surface nanopores, is spin-coated with a polymer-solvent solution. Once released from the template, the resulting conformal negative polymer replica of the template surface features an array of micro-patterned polymer nanoflbers. The nanofibers show excellent physical stability, and come arranged in a vertical architecture that spans over the surface of the supporting film. The obtained results strongly suggest that an extension of this approach, involving multiple spin-coating steps and distinct polymer solutions, can be used to form stable coaxially-heterostructured nanofibers, with wide-ranging potential applications.