Induced coiling action: exploring the intrinsic defects in five-fold twinned silver nanowires

Growth of polythiophene (PTh) on five-fold twinned Ag nanowires (NWs) is not symmetrical due to preferred etching of their intrinsic defects. This imbalance of polymer formation leads to consistent bending action along the etched NWs, coiling the resulting Ag-PTh nanocomposites into planar spirals. We studied the etching intermediates and also the effects of the surface ligands in order to understand the symmetry-breaking action. The defect-dependent etching chemistry offers a new means to induce motion and a novel perspective in the ordered occurrence of certain defects. We demonstrate that Ag can be deposited back onto the coiled Ag-PTh composite to form metallic spirals.