Silica-coated single-walled nanotubes: Nanostructure formation

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were coated with silica by treating a mixture of a basic sodium silicate solution and a surfactant-stabilized suspension of SWNTs with EtOH. The SiO2-SWNTs were cast on solid substrates to form woven mats comprising a variety of unique nanostructures including loops, curls, interconnects, and bridging tubes. The coatings trapped the nanotubes in distinct conformations and glued shorter tubes together into longer multi-strand coated filaments.