Very recently, it was found that ultrathin inorganic nanostructures with sizes down to 1 nm can show macromolecules-analogue properties like self-coiling and gelation 16, 17. However, inorganic compounds with non-layered structures are usually rigid and lack flexibility. For layered inorganic compounds, the flexibility could be achieved by inserting organic compounds into the lattice and forcing the bending of lattice into curved structures like tubes 15. Organic SWNTs could be prepared through a transition from helices to tubes determined by the curvature tolerance ability of the molecule structure 6, 13, 14. The main difference between inorganic and organic compounds in the formation of SWNTs arises from their inherent difference in structural flexibility associated with the totally different role of weak interactions in their assembly/growth processes. The unravelling of the initial driving force is essential to the rational design of new materials, and with an understanding of the relationships between building blocks and their interactions, it would be easier to develop more versatile inorganic SWNTs by combining various elements in the periodic table and different bond types. ![]() Detailed studies illustrate that the formation of SWNTs is initiated by the self-coiling of ultrathin building blocks, which is not limited to specific compounds or crystal structures. Here we demonstrate the generalized synthesis of inorganic SWNTs: sulfide hydroxide phosphate and polyoxometalate (POM). It is generally believed that layered crystal structures are necessary for the formation of inorganic SWNTs, which has greatly hindered their researches and subsequent applications. ![]() Compared with the numerous SWNT structures of organic molecules (amphiphilic polymers or peptides) 6, 7, 8, 9, however, there are very few examples of inorganic SWNTs such as carbon and MoS 2 (refs 1, 2, 10, 11, 12). Single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) are one of the most fascinating materials structural forms, and they have great application potential in fields including catalysis, microfluidic networks, composites, biomaterials and nanodevicesand so on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
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