Eur. Phys. J. E (2008) 25: 343-348
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2007-10291-3

Regular Article

Mechanical properties of nanotubes of polyelectrolyte multilayers

¹ Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Université de Nantes, 2, Rue de la Houssinière, 44322, Nantes cedex 3, France
² Unité de Physique et de Chimie des Hauts Polymères, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud, 1, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

^* e-mail: Stephane.Cuenot@cnrs-imn.fr

Received: 9 October 2007
Accepted: 6 February 2008
Published online: 11 April 2008

Abstract

The elastic properties of nanotubes fabricated by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolytes in the nanopores of polycarbonate track-etched membranes have been investigated by resonant contact Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), for nanotube diameters in the range of 100 to 200nm. The elastic modulus of the nanotubes was computed from the resonance frequencies of a cantilever resting on freely suspended LbL nanotubes. An average value of 115MPa was found in air for Young's modulus of these nanostructures, well below the values reported for dry, flat multilayers, but in the range of values reported for water-swollen flat multilayers. These low values are most probably due to the lower degree of ionic cross-linking of LbL nanotubes and their consequently higher water content in air, resulting from the peculiar mode of growth of nanoconfined polyelectrolyte multilayers.