Diameter-dependent evolution of failure current density of highly conducting DNA-templated gold nanowires

In this paper we report on the evolution of the failure current density as a function of diameter for highly conducting DNA-templated gold nanowires. This is explained as an increased ability of narrower nanowires to mitigate electromigration stresses, arising from an evolution of the structure of the nanowires from polygranular to bamboo-like as diameter decreases. The narrowest nanowires withstand current densities up to 3.3 × 10 12 A m −2 before undergoing failure by melting.