Carbon nanotube-clamped metal atomic chain

Metal atomic chain (MAC) is an ultimate one-dimensional structure with unique physical properties, such as quantized conductance, colossal magnetic anisotropy, and quantized magnetoresistance. Therefore, MACs show great potential as possible components of nanoscale electronic and spintronic devices....

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Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-05, Vol.107 (20), p.9055-9059
Main Authors: Tang, Dai-Ming, Yin, Li-Chang, Li, Feng, Liu, Chang, Yu, Wan-Jing, Hou, Peng-Xiang, Wu, Bo, Lee, Young-Hee, Ma, Xiu-Liang, Cheng, Hui-Ming
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Annealing
Atoms
Carbon
Carbon nanotubes
Chemical bonds
Electric Conductivity
Electric current
Electrodes
Electron beams
Electronic structure
Energy
Metals - chemistry
Nanorods
Nanotechnology - instrumentation
Nanotubes
Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry
Nanowires
Physical Sciences
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Summary:Metal atomic chain (MAC) is an ultimate one-dimensional structure with unique physical properties, such as quantized conductance, colossal magnetic anisotropy, and quantized magnetoresistance. Therefore, MACs show great potential as possible components of nanoscale electronic and spintronic devices. However, MACs are usually suspended between two macroscale metallic electrodes; hence obvious technical barriers exist in the interconnection and integration of MACs. Here we report a carbon nanotube (CNT)-clamped MAC, where CNTs play the roles of both nanoconnector and electrodes. This nanostructure is prepared by in situ machining a metal-filled CNT, including peeling off carbon shells by spatially and elementally selective electron beam irradiation and further elongating the exposed metal nanorod. The microstructure and formation process of this CNT-clamped MAC are explored by both transmission electron microscopy observations and theoretical simulations. First-principles calculations indicate that strong covalent bonds are formed between the CNT and MAC. The electrical transport property of the CNT-clamped MAC was experimentally measured, and quantized conductance was observed.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0914970107