| Abstract
| - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based composites have attracted significant research interest in recentyears, owing to their important applications in various technological fields. In this investigation, we describea general approach to make CNTs-based nanocomposites via self-assembly. The method allows one toprepare binary composites as well as complex systems such as ternary or even quaternary compositeswhere nanoparticles of active phases (e.g., metals and metal oxides) are used as primary building blocks.Six different kinds of binary, ternary, and quaternary nanocomposites, TiO2/CNTs, Co3O4/CNTs, Au/CNTs,Au/TiO2/CNTs, TiO2/Co3O4/CNTs, and Co/CoO/Co3O4/CNTs, have been reported herein in order to drawcommon features for various assembly schemes. To understand the interconnectivity between the activephases and CNTs, we have devised a range of experiments and examined the resultant samples withmany instrumental techniques. On the basis of this work, we demonstrate that highly complex inorganic−organic nanohybrids with good controls in particle shape, size, and distribution can be fabricated frompresynthesized nanobuilding units. Concerning their workability, we further show that self-assembled TiO2/CNTs are sufficiently robust and the electrochemical performance of TiO2 is significantly enhanced whenit is used as a cathode material in Li-battery application.
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