Reshaping elastic nanotubes via self-assembly of surface-adhesive nanoparticles

Elastic sheets with macroscopic dimensions are easy to deform by bending and stretching. Yet shaping nanometric sheets by mechanical manipulation is hard. Here we show that nanoparticle self-assembly could be used to this end. We demonstrate that spherical nanoparticles adhering to the outer surface of an elastic nanotube can self-assemble into linear structures: rings or helices on stretchable nanotubes, and axial strings on nanotubes with high rigidity to stretching. These self-assembled structures are inextricably linked to a variety of deformed nanotube profiles, which can be controlled by tuning the concentration of nanoparticles, the nanoparticle-nanotube diameter ratio and the elastic properties of the nanotube. Our results open the possibility of designing nanoparticle-laden tubular nanostructures with tailored shapes, for potential applications in materials science and nanomedicine.