Scientific Achievement
Creation of isolated chains of NbSe3 with structural torsional waves not found in bulk crystals.
Significance and Impact
Versatile method developed to isolate single chains of 1-D van der Waals materials, and observation of Charge-Induced Torsional Waves (CTWs) in the single and few-chain limit that may find optical applications.
Research Details
- Synthesized the quasi-one-dimensional transition metal trichalcogenide NbSe3 (niobium triselenide) in the few-chain limit, including the realization of the isolated single chains .
- Observed the static and dynamic structural torsional waves not found in bulk NbSe3 crystals by aberration-corrected TEM.
- Electronic structure calculation by DFT showed that the charge transfer drives the torsional wave instability, and ultra weak bonding between the chains and the nanotube sheath allows unhindered chain dynamics.
