Figure 1
(a) Close-view TEM image showing a single octapod standing on a carbon-coated Cu grid with four pods. The cartoon highlights its orientation. Scale bar: 50 nm. (b) 45°-tilt-SEM image demonstrating the presence of a linear ordered aggregate of octapods after the removal of the PS by oxygen plasma in a thinner nanocomposite film standing on a SiO2 substrate. Scale bar: 500 nm. (c) Overview of the fabrication process by mould casting: vials containing the octapod solutions after the addition of the polymers evidencing no visible changes in transparency; the sketches show the injection of the nanocomposite solution into Al moulds to produce the free-standing thick films.
