Smart Lipid Nanotubes for Easy Formation of Gold‐Lipid Hybrid Nanotubes and Tunable Gold Superstructures

Abstract

Organic‐inorganic hybrid nanotubes are highly functional and interesting materials. However, their formation generally requires reducing agents, high temperatures, special procedures, organic solvents etc. Here, using a simple concept based on engineering and materials design, we fabricated stimuli‐responsive lipid‐gold hybrid nanotubes. Self‐assembled lipid nanotubes, made from specially designed AQua molecules, are used as the nucleation sites. Well‐coated hybrid nanotubes are obtained by the in‐situ formation of gold nanoparticles on the nanotubes. The AQua molecule itself, without any other additives, reduces and stabilizes the gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticle coating degrees on the lipid nanotubes can be adjusted by varying the temperature, pH, and/or HAuCl4 concentration. In addition to hybrid nanotubes, stimuli‐responsive gold nano‐(wires, pompoms, and cubes) and polyhedrons are formed at specific conditions. Varying the pH results in a reversible change of gold nanowires to polyhedrons.