Formation and properties of metal-oxygen atomic chains

TL;DR

This paper reports the formation of noble metal-oxygen atomic chains, demonstrating oxygen's role in strengthening and extending these chains, with insights from experimental measurements and theoretical calculations.

Contribution

It is the first to show oxygen incorporation into metallic atomic chains and analyze its effects on their mechanical and electrical properties.

Findings

Oxygen can be incorporated into noble metal chains.

Oxygen incorporation enhances chain length and bond strength.

Theoretical calculations explain the strengthening mechanism.

Abstract

Suspended chains consisting of single noble metal and oxygen atoms have been formed. We provide evidence that oxygen can react with and be incorporated into metallic one-dimensional atomic chains. Oxygen incorporation reinforces the linear bonds in the chain, which facilitates the creation of longer atomic chains. The mechanical and electrical properties of these diatomic chains have been investigated by determining local vibration modes of the chain and by measuring the dependence of the average chain-conductance on the length of the chain. Additionally, we have performed calculations that give insight in the physical mechanism of the oxygen-induced strengthening of the linear bonds and the conductance of the metal-oxygen chains.