Related papers: Transient adhesion and conductance phenomena in in…
The process of creating an atomically defined and robust metallic tip is described and quantified using measurements of contact conductance between gold electrodes and numerical simulations. Our experiments show how the same conductance…
We report the observation of local superconductivity induced at the point contact formed between a normal metal tip and WC -- a triple point topological semimetal with super hardness. Remarkably, the maximum critical temperature is up to…
Differential resistance measurements are conducted for point contacts (PCs) between tungsten tip approaching along the $c$ axis direction and the $ab$ plane of Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$ single crystal. Three key features are found. Firstly, within…
We carry out molecular statics (MS) simulations to study the indentation process of Pt (111) surfaces using an indenter with the radius of 5-20 nm. The substrate and indenter surfaces are either bare or graphene-covered. Our simulations…
Interfaces between materials with different electronic ground states have become powerful platforms for creating and controlling novel quantum states of matter, in which inversion symmetry breaking and other effects at the interface may…
The mechanical behavior of nanotwinned Cu was studied through indentation creep and constant strain rate indentation tests from 25 $^\circ$C to 200 $^\circ$C. The results showed an enhanced strain rate sensitivity of nanotwinned Cu with…
Spin-density-functional calculations of tip-suspended gold chains, with molecular oxygen, or dissociated oxygen atoms, incorporated in them, reveal structural transitions for varying lengths. The nanowires exhibit enhanced strength for both…
The state of the art ab initio calculations reveal the effect of a scanning tunnelling microscopy tip on magnetic properties and conductance of a benzene-adatom sandwich on Cu(001). We concentrate on a benzene-Co system interacting with a…
As the need for miniaturized structural and functional materials has increased,the need for precise materials characterizaton has also expanded. Nanoindentation is a popular method that can be used to measure material mechanical behavior…
Point-contact Andreev reflection measurements of Co/ and Cu/tungsten-carbide (WC$_x$) contacts are presented. Metallic thin films were patterned by e-beam-lithography and lift-off; tungsten carbide superconducting tips were grown directly…
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a class of two-dimensional (2D) materials been widely studied for emerging electronic properties. In this work, we use computational simulations to examine the water adsorption on TMDs…
Irradiation of a sharp tungsten tip by a femtosecond laser and exposed to a strong DC electric field led to gradual and reproducible surface modifications. By a combination of field emission microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, we…
The conductance through a quantum point contact created by a sharp and hard metal tip on the graphite surface has features which to our knowledge have not been encountered so far in metal contacts or in nanowires. In this paper we first…
A thorough understanding of media tightness in automotive electronics is crucial for ensuring more reliable and compact product designs, ultimately improving product quality. Concerning the fundamental characteristics of fluid leakage…
We report on the onset of fluid entrainment when a contact line is forced to advance over a dry solid of arbitrary wettability. We show that entrainment occurs at a critical advancing speed beyond which the balance between capillary,…
The formation and rupture of atomic-sized contacts is modelled by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Such nano-contacts are realized in scanning tunnelling microscope and mechanically controlled break junction experiments. These…
The influence of material characteristics - i.e., type or surface texture - to wetting properties is nowadays increased by the implementation of ultrafast lasers for nanostructuring. In this account, we exposed multilayer thin metal film…
We demonstrate a high electron conductivity (> 10^2 S/cm and up to 10^3 S/cm) of tungsten suboxide W18O(52.4-52.9)(or equivalently WO(2.91-2.94)) nanotubes (2 to 3 nm in diameter, ca. micrometer long). The conductivity is measured in the…
We report on the fabrication of nanocontacts by indentation of an ultrathin insulating photoresist layer deposited on various types of conductive structures. A modified atomic force microscope (AFM) designed for local resistance…
Recently, Wang $et$ $al.$ have reported the observation of "unconventional superconductivity" in the Weyl semimetal TaAs [arXiv:1607.00513]. The authors have written "\textit{A conductance plateau and sharp double dips are observed in the…