Ultrathin Au nanowires and their transport properties

This paper presents a facile synthesis of single-crystalline Au nanowires by reduction of HAuCl4 in oleic acid and oleylamine. The diameter of these micron-meter-long Au nanowires is controlled to be 3 and 9 nm by volume ratio of oleylamine and oleic acid. When linked between two gold electrodes, the 9 nm Au nanowire shows good electron conductivity with its breakdown current density reaching 3.5 x 10(12) A/m2. This demonstrates that the chemically made ultrathin Au nanowires can be used as a molecular-scale interconnect for nanoelectronic applications.