Ultrathin single-crystalline silver nanowire arrays formed in an ambient solution phase

We report the synthesis of single-crystalline silver nanowires of atomic di mensions. The uttrathin silver wires with 0.4 nanometer width grow up to mi crometer-scale length inside the pores of self-assembled calix[4]hydroquino ne nanotubes by etectro-/photochemical redox reaction in an ambient aqueous phase. The present subnanowires are very stable under ambient air and aque ous environments, unlike previously reported metal wires of similar to1 nan ometer diameter, which existed only transiently in ultrahigh vacuum. The wi res exist as coherently oriented three-dimensional arrays of ultrahigh dens ity and thus could be used as model systems for investigating one-dimension al phenomena and as nanoconnectors for designing nanoelectronic devices.