Ultrathin nanowires with <3 nm diameter have long been sought for novel properties that emerge from dimensional constraint as well as for continued size reduction and performance improvement of nanoelectronic devices. Here, we report on a facile and large-scale synthesis of a new class of electrically conductive ultrathin core–shell nanowires using benzenethiols. Core–shell nanowires are atomically precise and have inorganic five-atom copper–sulfur cross-sectional cores encapsulated by organic shells encompassing aromatic substituents with ring planes oriented parallel. The exact nanowire atomic structures were revealed via a two-pronged approach combining computational methods coupled with experimental synthesis and advanced characterizations. Core–shell nanowires were determined to be indirect bandgap materials with a predicted room-temperature resistivity of ∼120 Ω·m. Nanowire morphology was found to be tunable by changing the interwire interactions imparted by the functional group on the benzenethiol molecular precursors, and the nanowire core diameter was determined by the steric bulkiness of the ligand. These discoveries help define our understanding of the fundamental constituents of atomically well-defined and electrically conductive core–shell nanowires, representing significant advances toward nanowire building blocks for smaller, faster, and more powerful nanoelectronics.

中文翻译：

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通过苯硫酚定向组装的导电铜芯-壳纳米线

长期以来，人们一直在寻求直径小于3 nm的超薄纳米线，以寻求因尺寸限制而产生的新颖特性，以及纳米电子器件的尺寸不断减小和性能提高。在这里，我们报道了一种使用苯硫酚的新型大规模导电超薄核-壳纳米线的简便，大规模合成方法。核-壳纳米线在原子上是精确的，并且具有被有机壳包裹的无机五原子铜-硫横截面核，这些有机壳包含与环平面平行定向的芳族取代基。精确的纳米线原子结构通过结合计算方法，实验合成和先进表征的两管齐下的方法揭示出来。核壳纳米线被确定为间接带隙材料，其室温电阻率约为120Ω·m。通过改变由苯硫醇分子前体上的官能团赋予的线间相互作用，发现纳米线形态是可调谐的，并且纳米线芯直径由配体的空间体积确定。这些发现有助于定义我们对原子清晰定义的导电核-壳纳米线基本成分的理解，代表了朝着更小，更快，更强大的纳米电子学发展的纳米线构件的重大进步。纳米线芯直径由配体的空间体积决定。这些发现有助于定义我们对原子清晰定义的导电核-壳纳米线基本成分的理解，代表了朝着更小，更快，更强大的纳米电子学发展的纳米线构件的重大进步。纳米线芯直径由配体的空间体积决定。这些发现有助于定义我们对原子清晰定义的导电核-壳纳米线基本成分的理解，代表了朝着更小，更快，更强大的纳米电子学发展的纳米线构件的重大进步。