Millimeters long super flexible Mn5Si3@SiO2 electrical nanocables applicable in harsh environments

Abstract

Providing high performance electrical nano-interconnects for micro-nano electronics that are robust in harsh environments is highly demanded. Today, electrical nano-interconnects based on metallic nanowires, e.g. Ag and Cu, are limited by their positive physicochemical reactivity and ductility under large strain (i.e. irreversible dislocations and local necking-down elongation) at high temperatures or in strong oxidizing and acidic environments. Herein, to overcome these limitations, high-quality millimetre-sized soft manganese-based silicide (Mn5Si3@SiO2) nanowire nanocables are designed via a glassy Si–Mn–O matrix assisted growth. The proposed nanocables exhibit good electrical performance (resistivity of 1.28 to 3.84×10-6 Ωm and maximum current density 1.22 to 3.54×107 A cm−2) at temperatures higher than 317°C in air atmosphere, strongly acidic (HCl, PH=1.0) and oxidizing (H2O2, 10%) ambient, and under complex electric field. The proposed Mn5Si3@SiO2 nanocables, which withstand a strain of 16.7% free of failure, could be exploited for diverse applications in flexible electronics and complex wiring configurations.