title: Carbon nanotube-clamped metal atomic chain.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016, China.
authors.forename: Dai-Ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Li-Chang
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wan-Jing
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Peng-Xiang
authors.initials: PX
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Young-Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Xiu-Liang
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004566:Electrodes; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon