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

We report the synthesis of single-crystalline silver nanowires of atomic dimensions. The ultrathin silver wires with 0.4 nanometer width grow up to micrometer-scale length inside the pores of self-assembled calix[4]hydroquinone nanotubes by electro-/photochemical redox reaction in an ambient aqueous phase. The present subnanowires are very stable under ambient air and aqueous environments, unlike previously reported metal wires of ∼ 1 nanometer diameter, which existed only transiently in ultrahigh vacuum. The wires exist as coherently oriented threedimensional arrays of ultrahigh density and thus could be used as model systems for investigating one-dimensional phenomena and as nanoconnectors for designing nanoelectronic devices.