LAUSR

Not only amphiphiles but also non-amphiphilic or π–conjugated molecules, if rationally designed, have been found to self-assemble in liquid media to form discrete tubular architectures with well-defined dimensions. This review covers most of the molecular building blocks that spontaneously produce organic nanotubes (ONTs) through self-assembly. Starting with the comparison of synthetic procedures and physical properties between the ONTs and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the author discusses the classification of formation mechanism for the self-assembled ONTs. Then, membrane- or sheet-based, nanoring- or nanotoroid-based, stacking-based, and supramolecular stacking-based pathways of the self-assembly are described in relation to the presence or absence of intermediate structures. Concerning the membrane- or sheet-based mechanism, the molecular design and functionalities of each building block, and the dimensions of obtained ONTs are discussed in terms of the self-assembling features of amino acids, bile acids,...