Patent ID: 8137759

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a synthetic nanotube, the process comprising the steps of (i) combining an aqueous solution of Co 2+ salt with an aqueous solution of citrate salt thereby forming a first mixture: (ii) degassing the first mixture: (iii) purging at least once with nitrogen gas; (iv) adding an aqueous solution of NaBH 4 thereby Co 2+ to Co 0 and thereby forming a second mixture comprising Co 0 particles, the step of adding being in the presence of an induced magnetic field and wherein the presence of the induced magnetic filed aligns the Co 0 particles; (v) agitating the second mixture until hydrogen evolution is substantially complete; (vi) adding the second mixture comprising aligned Co 0 particles to an aqueous solution of Au 3+ salt; (vii) allowing the Au 3+ to be reduced to Au 0 and the Co 0 oxidized to Co 2+ , and wherein the Au 0 is deposited adjacent to the aligned Co 0 thereby creating a nanotube comprising Au 0 ; thereby synthesizing a synthetic nanotube, and wherein the synthetic nanotube comprises a poly-crystalline wall, the poly-crystalline wall having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface defining a continuous substantially hollow core.