Nanorods consisting of a polystyrene core and a poly(4-vinylpyridine) shell produced via the self-assembly route of comb-shaped supramolecules exhibit very poor mechanical properties. Adding a sufficient amount of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-diphenyl oxide) introduces entanglements to the PS-core resulting in nanorods with much better properties, which can be used as templates for e.g. transition metal oxide tubes.