How Do Gold Nanowires Break?

E. Z. da Silva; Antônio J. R. da Silva; A. Fazzio

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.256102

How Do Gold Nanowires Break?

E. Z. da Silva, Antônio J. R. da Silva, and A. Fazzio

Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 256102 – Published 28 November 2001

Abstract

Suspended gold nanowires have recently been made in an ultrahigh vacuum and were imaged by electron microscopy. Using realistic molecular dynamics simulation, we study the mechanisms of formation, evolution, and breaking of these atomically thin Au nanowires under stress. We show how defects induce the formation of constrictions that eventually will form the one-atom chains. We find that these chains, before breaking, are five atoms long, which is in excellent agreement with experimental results. After the nanowire’s rupture, we analyze the structure of the Au tip, which we believe will be universally present due to its highly symmetric nature.

Received 6 August 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.256102

Authors & Affiliations

E. Z. da Silva^1,*, Antônio J. R. da Silva^2,†, and A. Fazzio^2,‡

¹Instituto de Física “Gleb Wataghin,” UNICAMP, CP 6165, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
²Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 66318, 05315-970, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

^*Email address: zacarias@ifi.unicamp.br
^†Email address: ajrsilva@if.usp.br
^‡Email address: fazzio@if.usp.br