Related papers: Quantum Necking in Stressed Metallic Nanowires
Using concepts from fluid dynamics, a partial differential equation for the shape evolution of a metallic nanowire is derived from a semiclassical energy functional that includes electron-shell effects. A rich dynamics, involving movement…
The Peierls instability in multi-channel metal nanowires is investigated. Hyperscaling relations are established for the finite-size-, temperature-, and wavevector-scaling of the electronic free energy. It is shown that the softening of…
The shape of metallic constrictions of nanoscopic dimensions (necks) formed using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is shown to depend on the fabrication procedure. Submitting the neck to repeated plastic deformation cycles makes…
A remarkably quantitative understanding of the electrical and mechanical properties of metal wires with a thickness on the scale of a nanometer has been obtained within the free-electron model using semiclassical techniques. Convergent…
Axisymmetric solid-state necking of a single-crystal metallic nanowire in a thermal contact with a substrate and subjected to a surface electromigration current is accompanied by a local current crowding and a sharp rise of a resistivity of…
The conducting and mechanical properties of a metallic nanowire formed at the junction between two macroscopic metallic electrodes are investigated. Both two- and three-dimensional wires with a W(ide)-N(arrow)-W(ide) geometry are modelled…
By using molecular dynamics simulations, the research examine how copper and silver nanowires respond to tensile loading in order to clarify their nanoscale deformation mechanisms. The results demonstrate that these two metal nanowires…
Nanowires play a pivotal role across a spectrum of disciplines such as nanoelectromechanical systems, nanoelectronics, and energy applications. As nanowires continue to diminish in dimensions, their mechanical characteristics are…
The surface dynamics and thermodynamics of metal nanowires are investigated in a continuum model. Competition between surface tension and electron-shell effects leads to a rich stability diagram, with fingers of stability extending to…
Transmission electron microscopy experiments have recently observed gold metal nanocylinders to thin down in a discrete manner: A kink--a step of order of one atomic layer--nucleates at one end and then moves along the wire, leaving a…
Metal nanowires exhibit a number of interesting properties: their electrical conductance is quantized, their shot-noise is suppressed by the Pauli principle, and they are remarkably strong and stable. We show that many of these properties…
Energetics and conductance in jellium modelled nanowires are investigated using the local-density-functional-based shell correction method. In analogy with studies of other finite-size fermion systems, e.g., simple-metal clusters or He-3…
After making a cold weld by pressing two clean metal surfaces together, upon gradually separating the two pieces a metallic nanowire is formed, which progressively thins down to a single atom before contact is lost. In previous experiments…
Superconducting properties of metallic nanowires can be entirely different from those of bulk superconductors because of the dominating role played by thermal and quantum fluctuations of the order parameter. For superconducting wires with…
This study investigates the torsional mechanical properties of pristine iron (Fe) and carbon-doped iron (FeC) nanowires with [001] orientation through molecular dynamics simulations utilizing the Modified Embedded Atom Method (MEAM)…
Strong coupling between electronic and mechanical degrees of freedom is a basic requirement for the operation of any nanoelectromechanical device. In this Review we consider such devices and in particular investigate the properties of small…
Semiconductor nanowires (NWires) experience stress and charge transfer by their environment and impurity atoms. In return, the environment of NWires experiences a NWire stress response which may lead to propagated strain and change in shape…
We have investigated the vibrational density of states (VDOS) of a thin Cu nanowire with $<100>$ axial orientation and considered the effect of axial strain. The VDOS are calculated using a real space Green's function approach with the…
A linear stability analysis of metallic nanowires is performed in the free-electron model using quantum chaos techniques. It is found that the classical instability of a long wire under surface tension can be completely suppressed by…
This article presents a brief review of the nanoscale free-electron model, which provides a continuum description of metal nanostructures. It is argued that surface and quantum-size effects are the two dominant factors in the energetics of…