US Patent 7223474 - Porphyrin nanotube/metal nanorod composite

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7223474.html

This patent from Sandia teaches a nanostructure formed from porphyrrin which encapsulates nanorods and which has an interesting property of converting from a tubular to a rodlike structure upon irradiation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A metal nanostructure, comprising: a porphyrin nanotube with a hollow interior, the porphyrin nanotube having an outer surface; and a metal nanorod within the hollow interior, the metal nanorod having a first end and a second end.