(a) 3D TMC crystalline structure consisting of TMC nanofibers surrounded by single-atom rows of an intercalating element. (b) End on and side view of a single TMC nanofiber. In particular, a class of 3D TMC structures has garnered particular interest, consisting of bundles of TMC nanofibers held together by metal atoms in between the fibers, all forming a well-ordered lattice in its cross-section (see Figure 1). By making the bundles thin, they might be made into versatile structures that conduct electrical power: this makes TMC nanostructures a prime candidate for use as circuitry in nanocircuitry. (b) Synthesized 3D TMC nanofibers on a silicon substrate.
(a) 3D TMC crystalline structure consisting of TMC nanofibers surrounded by single-atom rows of an intercalating aspect. (b) End on and side view of a single TMC nanofiber.
Intercalation of indium into nanostructures promises applications to nanocircuitry.
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have actually effectively threaded atoms of indium metal in between person fibers in bundles of shift metal chalcogenide nanofibers. By soaking the packages in indium gas, rows of atoms had the ability to make their method in between the fibers to develop a distinct nanostructure by means of intercalation. Through simulations and resistivity measurements, private bundles were revealed to have metal homes, leading the way for application as versatile nanowires in nanocircuitry.
Atomic wires of transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) are nanostructures consisting of a transition metal and a group 16 element like sulfur, tellurium, and selenium. They have the ability to self-assemble into a large range of structures with different dimensionality, putting them at the heart of a transformation in nanomaterials that has actually been the focus of intense research over the last few years.
In specific, a class of 3D TMC structures has amassed specific interest, including bundles of TMC nanofibers held together by metal atoms in between the fibers, all forming a well-ordered lattice in its cross-section (see Figure 1). Depending on the choice of metal, the structure might even be made to end up being a superconductor. Additionally, by making the packages thin, they could be made into flexible structures that carry out electrical energy: this makes TMC nanostructures a prime candidate for usage as electrical wiring in nanocircuitry. It has been hard to make these structures into the long, thin fibers that are required to study them thorough, as well as for nanotechnology applications.
Figure 2. (a) Schematic of atomic structure of both tungsten telluride nanofiber bundles and the last intercalated structure, along with scanning transmission electron microscopy images. (b) Synthesized 3D TMC nanofibers on a silicon substrate. Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University
A team led by Assistant Professor Yusuke Nakanishi and Associate Professor Yasumitsu Miyata has been studying synthesis techniques for TMC nanostructures. In current work, they revealed that they might produce long, thin bundles of TMCs (with no metal) over unprecedentedly large length scales. Now, they have used a vapor stage reaction to thread atomically-thin rows of indium into thin packages of tungsten telluride. By exposing their long nanofiber packages to indium vapor under vacuum at 500 degrees Celsius, the indium metal atoms made their method into the area in between the specific nanofibers that make up the bundles, forming an intercalating (or bridging) row of indium that binds the fibers together.
Having actually successfully produced large amounts of these threaded TMC packages, they proceeded to study the residential or commercial properties of their new nanowires. Interestingly, they discovered that this structure was a little various to bulk batches of bundled nanofibers, in that the intercalated rows triggered each nanofiber to rotate slightly about its axis.
The groups strategy is not just restricted to indium and tungsten telluride, nor to this specific structure. They hope their work may influence a new chapter for nanomaterial advancement and the study of their unique homes.
Recommendation: “Vapor-Phase Indium Intercalation in van der Waals Nanofibers of Atomically Thin W6Te6 Wires” by Ryusuke Natsui, Hiroshi Shimizu, Yusuke Nakanishi *, Zheng Liu, Akito Shimamura, Nguyen Tuan Hung, Yung-Chang Lin, Takahiko Endo, Jiang Pu, Iori Kikuchi, Taishi Takenobu, Susumu Okada, Kazu Suenaga, Riichiro Saito and Yasumitsu Miyata, 23 February 2023, ACS Nano.DOI: 10.1021/ acsnano.2 c10997.
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP18H01810, JP20H02572, JP20H02605, JP20J21812, JP20K05413, JP20H05664, JP20H05862, JP20H05867, JP20K15178, JP21H05232, JP21H05233, JP21H05234, JP21H05235, JP21H05236, JP22H00215, JP22H00280, JP22H00283, JP22H01899, JP22H04957, jp22k19059, and jp22h05478, JST CREST Grant Numbers JPMJCR1715, JPMJCR1993, JPMJCR20B1, and JPMJCR20B5, and FOREST Grant Number JPMJFR213X.