Study of the Growth Rate of Polystyrene Nanotube Prepared by Melt Wetting an Anodic Aluminum Oxide Template

Polystyrene nanotubes have been successfully prepared by melt wetting an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template at 190, 210, 230 °C. A rapid freezing method with ice was used to control the growth process, and the different heights of the polymer nanotubes for different growth times were investigated by SEM. The average growth rate was calculated to be in the range of 10 –7 –10 –6 m/s, which is about 5–6 orders of magnitude lower than the macroscopic capillary flow rate of water infiltrating a glass tube. This indicates that the size advantage of a nanoscale pore is offset by the very large viscosity difference between the polymer melt and the small molecules. For a specified template, and specified polymer, the main factor influencing the growth rate of polymer nanotubes prepared by melt wetting an AAO template is the viscosity of the polymer melt.