Controlling the length of self-assembled microtubes through mechanical stress-induced scission

Abstract

We demonstrate that mechanical stress-induced scission is an effective strategy to control the length of self-assembled microtubes. By applying mechanical stress with variable magnitude and mode, the length of microtubes can be tightly regulated. We have succeeded in reducing the average length of microtubes ∼twenty-fold through stretching and compression. The mechanical stress-induced scission of self-assembled, long microtubes into smaller fragments has no adverse effect on the functionality of the microtubes. This work will foster the applications of length-controlled, self-assembled microtubes in various fields.