Figure 1. (a) 3D TMC crystalline construction consisting of TMC nanofibers surrounded by single-atom rows of an intercalating component. (b) End on and facet view of a single TMC nanofiber. Chalcogens are golden, transition metals are inexperienced, and the intercalating component is darkish purple. Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Intercalation of indium into nanostructures guarantees functions to nanocircuitry.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have efficiently threaded atoms of indium steel in between particular person fibers in bundles of transition steel chalcogenide nanofibers. By steeping the bundles in indium gasoline, rows of atoms had been in a position to make their approach in between the fibers to create a novel nanostructure through intercalation. Through simulations and resistivity measurements, particular person bundles had been proven to have metallic properties, paving the way in which for utility as versatile nanowires in nanocircuitry.
Atomic wires of transition steel chalcogenides (TMCs) are nanostructures consisting of a transition steel and a bunch 16 component like sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. They are in a position to self-assemble into a variety of constructions with totally different dimensionality, placing them on the coronary heart of a revolution in nanomaterials that has been the main target of intense analysis lately.
In specific, a category of 3D TMC constructions has garnered specific curiosity, consisting of bundles of TMC nanofibers held collectively by metallic atoms in between the fibers, all forming a well-ordered lattice in its cross-section (see Figure 1). Depending on the selection of steel, the construction may even be made to turn out to be a superconductor. Furthermore, by making the bundles skinny, they could possibly be made into versatile constructions that conduct electrical energy: this makes TMC nanostructures a first-rate candidate to be used as wiring in nanocircuitry. However, it has been troublesome to make these constructions into the lengthy, skinny fibers which are required to review them in-depth, in addition to for nanotechnology functions.
Figure 2. (a) Schematic of atomic construction of each tungsten telluride nanofiber bundles and the ultimate intercalated construction, together with scanning transmission electron microscopy photographs. (b) Synthesized 3D TMC nanofibers on a silicon substrate. Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University
A crew led by Assistant Professor Yusuke Nakanishi and Associate Professor Yasumitsu Miyata has been finding out synthesis methods for TMC nanostructures. In current work, they confirmed that they may produce lengthy, skinny bundles of TMCs (with no steel) over unprecedentedly giant size scales. Now, they’ve used a vapor part response to string atomically-thin rows of indium into skinny bundles of tungsten telluride. By exposing their lengthy nanofiber bundles to indium vapor beneath vacuum at 500 levels Celsius, the indium metal atoms made their way into the space between the individual nanofibers that make up the bundles, forming an intercalating (or bridging) row of indium that binds the fibers together.
Having successfully produced large amounts of these threaded TMC bundles, they proceeded to study the properties of their new nanowires. By looking at the resistivity as a function of temperature, they showed conclusively that individual bundles behave like a metal and thus conduct electricity. This agreed with computer simulations, and also demonstrated how well-ordered the structures were. Interestingly, they found that this structure was slightly different to bulk batches of bundled nanofibers, in that the intercalated rows caused each nanofiber to rotate slightly about its axis.
The team’s technique is not only limited to indium and tungsten telluride, nor to this particular structure. They hope their work might inspire a new chapter for nanomaterial development and the study of their unique properties.
Reference: “Vapor-Phase Indium Intercalation in van der Waals Nanofibers of Atomically Thin W6Te6 Wires” by Ryusuke Natsui, Hiroshi Shimizu, Yusuke Nakanishi*, Zheng Liu, Akito Shimamura, Nguyen Tuan Hung, Yung-Chang Lin, Takahiko Endo, Jiang Pu, Iori Kikuchi, Taishi Takenobu, Susumu Okada, Kazu Suenaga, Riichiro Saito and Yasumitsu Miyata, 23 February 2023, ACS Nano.
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c10997
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP18H01810, JP20H02572, JP20H02605, JP20J21812, JP20K05413, JP20H05664, JP20H05862, JP20H05867, JP20K15178, JP21H05232, JP21H05233, JP21H05234, JP21H05235, JP21H05236, JP22H00215, JP22H00280, JP22H00283, JP22H01899, JP22H04957, JP22H05478, and JP22K19059, JST CREST Grant Numbers JPMJCR1715, JPMJCR1993, JPMJCR20B1, and JPMJCR20B5, and FOREST Grant Number JPMJFR213X.
