Atomic-Scale Structure of Mo₆S₆ Nanowires

We have studied the atomic-scale structure of the Mo₆S₆ nanowires using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM and STS) and density functional theory (DFT). A novel synthesis route based on metallic Mo precursors is presented for the selective formation of elementary pure Mo₆S₆ nanowires. The Mo₆S₆ nanowires selectively organize as trimer bundles, and each of the Mo6S6 nanowires consists of an electrically conducting Mo backbone dressed with a sulfur exterior cap. The Mo₆S₆ nanowires may thus be of interest as novel building blocks in nanoelectronics because the Mo₆S₆ nanowires exist in a robust, singular structural conformation with uniquely defined electrical (metallic) properties.