title: Nanoscale chemical and structural characterization of transient metallic nanowires using aberration-corrected STEM-EELS.
abstract: Direct chemical and structural characterization of transient iron-nickel alloy nanowires was performed at subnanometer spatial resolution using probe spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Nanowires with diameter less than 2 nm retaining their nominal bulk alloy composition were observed. In some cases, the nanowires were oxidized. Before rupture, a nanojunction as thin as three atoms in width could be imaged. The time-dependent structural analyses revealed the nanowire rupture mechanisms. It is found that the atoms on the {111} planes were the easiest to be removed by electron irradiation and fluctuations between low-energy and high-energy facets were observed. The hitherto unknown rich variety of structural and chemical behavior in alloyed magnetic nanojunctions should be considered for understanding their physical properties.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, UMR 8502, Université Paris Sud, F-91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Santhana K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Eswara Moorthy
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viret
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kociak
mesh_terms: D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D008422:Materials Testing; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances