Electrically conducting polymers as templating interfaces for fabrication of copper nanotubes

Submicrometer tubes have been fabricated by a polymer-based template approach using electroless deposition. The copper was deposited on polystyrene fibers functionalized with an interfacial electrically conducting polyaniline thin film layer. Thermal degradation of the functionalized fiber templates resulted in copper tubes of diameter 1600 ± 50 nm with wall thicknesses ranging between 100 and 200 nm. The morphology and elemental analysis of copper coaxial fibers was analyzed using SEM and EDS. Electrical properties were analyzed using FTIR and PXRD was used to study crystal structure of copper nanotubes.