The world's smallest cord made of diamonds

Stanford scientists created a three-atom-wide wire with self-aligning diamond crystals.

Stanford University researchers and SLAC have successfully built the world's smallest wire with only three atoms wide , UPI reported on Dec. 27.

Scientists have applied the ability to manually position the diamondoids to combine with copper-sulfur atoms to form microscopic wires. This process is surprisingly accurate and does not require human intervention.

The size of the wires compared to a coin. (Photo: Phys.org).

"This shows that we can make electric wires with maximum small size and self-assembly." The synthesis method is simple: just pour the ingredients together and they will themselves Formed after half an hour, like diamond crystals themselves know where to go, " said Hao Yan, a Stanford University researcher.

Diamond crystals act as an assembly tool and insulating material. They surround the semiconductor core made from chalcogenide , a special compound of copper and sulfur. Diamond crystals are extracted from crude oil and sorted according to size.

The scientists selected crystals of 10 carbon atoms and then attached a sulfur atom to them. The material is placed in a solution, allowing the sulfur atom to bind to the copper atom. When they are combined, diamond crystals will attract each other by van der Waals gravity. The result is a tiny wire made of copper and sulfur ions.

"Like Lego blocks, they can only be attached to one another in a certain way, based on their size and shape." Copper and sulfur atoms are in the middle, forming the core of the wire, while crystals Diamonds will be outside as an insulating shell , " said Fei Hua Li, Stanford graduate student.

Researchers say the wire could help improve the quality of photovoltaic equipment, photovoltaic cells, solar cells, and many other technologies, such as knitting strings on fabrics to create energy.