Related papers: Electronic and atomic shell structure in aluminum …
Without a periodic reference framework, local structures in noncrystalline solids are difficult to specify, but they still exert an enormous influence on materials properties. For example, thermomechanical responses of organic and inorganic…
We report an ab-initio investigation of several possible Si and Ge pristine nanowires with diameters between 0.5 and 1.2 nm. We considered nanowires based on the diamond structure, high-density bulk structures, and fullerene-like…
Generalized-ensemble simulations enable the study of complex adsorption scenarios of a coarse-grained model polymer near an attractive nanostring, representing an ultrathin nanowire. We perform canonical and microcanonical statistical…
We develop a generalized grand canonical potential for the ballistic nonequilibrium electron distribution in a metal nanowire with a finite applied bias voltage. Coulomb interactions are treated in the self-consistent Hartree approximation,…
We present the results of self-consistent calculations of the electronic shell and supershell structure for clusters having up to 6000 valence electrons. The ionic background is described in terms of a homogeneous jellium. The calculations…
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…
The divide between the realms of atomic-scale quantum particles and lithographically-defined nanostructures is rapidly being bridged. Hybrid quantum systems comprising ultracold gas-phase atoms and substrate-bound devices already offer…
In systems with reduced dimensions quantum fluctuations have a strong influence on the electronic conduction, even at very low temperature. In superconductors this is especially interesting, since the coherent state of the superconducting…
Metallic nanoclusters displaying electronic shell structure exhibit the special feature of a correlation between their geometry and the number of delocalized electrons . Their shape evolution can be described as a quantum oscillation…
We have studied the effect of thermal effects on the structural and transport response of Ag atomic-size nanowires generated by mechanical elongation. Our study involves both time-resolved atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy…
The structural, magnetic, vibrational and electronic properties of single layer aluminum oxide (AlO2) are investigated by performing state-of-the-art first-principles calculations. Total energy optimization and phonon calculations reveal…
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…
We present a transparent conducting electrode composed of a periodic two-dimensional network of silver nanowires. Networks of Ag nanowires are made with wire diameters of 45-110 nm and pitch of 500, 700 and 1000 nm. Anomalous optical…
We have used density functional theory to study the structural stability of surface alloys. Our systems consist of a single pseudomorphic layer of $M_xN_{1-x}$ on the Ru(0001) surface, where $M$ = Fe or Co, and $N$ = Pt, Au, Ag, Cd, or Pb.…
We investigate the histograms of conductance values obtained during controlled electromigration thinning of Cu thin films. We focus on the question whether the most frequently observed conductance values, apparent as peaks in conductance…
A wide variety of experimental results and theoretical investigations in recent years have convincingly demonstrated that several transition metal oxides and other materials, have dominant states that are not spatially homogeneous. This…
Nanowires of different nature have been shown to self-assemble as a function of stress at the contact between two macroscopic metallic leads. Here we demonstrate for gold wires that the balance between various metastable nanowire…
The electronic structure of nanoscopic oxide-coated aluminum islands is investigated using a tight-binding model that incorporates the geometry, chemistry and disorder of the particle. The oxide coat is found to significantly increase the…
We study the role of the electrical double layer (EDL) in the formation of the quasistatic electrical conductivity of suspensions of nanosized particles. A suspension is viewed as a system of hard-core--penetrable-shell particles. The…
In order to control and tailor the properties of nanodots, it is essential to separate the effects of quantum confinement from those due to the surface, and to gain insight into the influence of preparation conditions on the dot physical…