title: Chiral gold nanowires with Boerdijk-Coxeter-Bernal structure.
abstract: A Boerdijk-Coxeter-Bernal (BCB) helix is made of linearly stacked regular tetrahedra (tetrahelix). As such, it is chiral without nontrivial translational or rotational symmetries. We demonstrate here an example of the chiral BCB structure made of totally symmetrical gold atoms, created in nanowires by direct chemical synthesis. Detailed study by high-resolution electron microscopy illustrates their elegant chiral structure and the unique one-dimensional "pseudo-periodicity". The BCB-type atomic packing mode is proposed to be a result of the competition and compromise between the lattice and surface energy.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division and ∥Catalysis Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Yihan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jiating
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Xiaohe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhipan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han