Toshimi Shimizu received his B.S. (1975), M.S. (1977), and Ph.D. (1983) in polymer chemistry from Kyoto University, Japan. He was the director of the Nanoarchitectonics Research Center (NARC), AIST (2000–2007). He also directed a Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) project (2001–2005) and the succeeding Solution-Oriented Research for Science and Technology (SORST) project (2005–2009) funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). His research has focused on functional high-axial-ratio nanostructure assemblies for nano-space engineering. He has received several awards including the Award of the Society of Polymer Science (SPSJ) (2001), Japan, and the Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ) Award for Creative Work (2006). In 2017, he was elected as a SPSJ fellow. He is the volume editor and author of Self-Assembled Nanomaterials I (Springer, 2008) and Molecular- and Nano-Tubes (Springer, 2011).
This book addresses the manufacturing methods, characteristic tubular morphologies, diverse functions, and potent applications of organic tubular architectures prepared or self-assembled from rationally designed molecular building blocks. The hollow cylindrical structures with high-aspect ratios are capable of creating unique functions that can be differentiated from well-known self-assembled nanostructures such as organic nanofibers, nanoribbons, and nanorods. Encapsulation, stabilization, transportation, release, and their cooperative functions pave the way for innovative chemical, physical, biological, and medical applications. The book presents attractive advantages of soft-matter nanotubes, which are also different from well-known hard-matter nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes. The topics and figures in this volume intrigue not only academic researchers but also engineers and university students.