Modification and assembly of titanate sodium nanotubes

Titanate sodium nanotubes Na2Ti2O4(OH)2 are surface-modified by n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) because of the existence of Ti–OH at the surface of nanotubes. TEM image shows that nanorods are formed after the modification. The rodlike nanostructures may be caused by the special packing of these surface-modified nanotubes through hydrophobic interaction between the long fatty chains. The nanorods can also be assembled at the air–water interface by using LB technique.