On the Formation of Copper Linear Atomic Suspended Chains

TL;DR

This paper combines high-resolution microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate the formation of linear atomic suspended chains in copper nanowires, challenging previous assumptions about their non-existence.

Contribution

It provides the first combined experimental and simulation evidence of copper LAC formation along multiple crystallographic directions, contradicting earlier beliefs.

Findings

Copper LACs form in [111], [110], and [100] directions.

LAC formation occurs under mechanical stretching of nanowires.

Results challenge previous literature dismissing copper LAC existence.

Abstract

We report high resolution transmission electron microscopy and classical molecular dynamics simulation results of mechanically stretching copper nanowires conducting to linear atomic suspended chains (LACs) formation. In contrast with some previous experimental and theoretical work in literature that stated that the formation of LACs for copper should not exist our results showed the existence of LAC for the [111], [110], and [100] crystallographic directions, being thus the sequence of most probable occurence.