Achieving the 1D Atomic Chain Limit in Van der Waals Crystals

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials are stable and manipulable at the atomic plane level.
• The stability and processing of one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals materials and atomic chains remain challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the exfoliation and processing of 1D van der Waals materials at the individual atomic chain scale.
• To investigate the stability and manipulation of these 1D materials.

Main Methods:

• Exfoliation of 1D van der Waals materials (MoI3 and Ta2Se8I).
• High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for characterization.
• Electron beam processing for suspended atomic chains.
• Ab initio calculations for cleavage energies and thermodynamic stability.

Main Results:

• Stable individual atomic chains of MoI3 were confirmed at room temperature.
• Suspended individual atomic chains of Ta2Se8I were achieved using electron beam processing.
• Ab initio calculations supported the stability and low cleavage energy of these 1D atomic chains.

Conclusions:

• The top-down approach for material processing can be extended to individual atomic chains.
• 1D van der Waals materials offer new possibilities for nanoscale manipulation and device fabrication.