Flexible control of the Peierls transition in metallic C₆₀ polymers

The metal-semiconductor transition of peanut-shaped fullerene (C$_{60}$) polymers is clarified by considering the electron-phonon coupling in the uneven structure of the polymers. We established a theory that accounts for the transition temperature $T_c$ reported in a recent experiment and also suggests that $T_c$ is considerably lowered by electron doping or prolonged irradiation during synthesis. The decrease in $T_c$ is an appealing phenomenon with regard to realizing high-conductivity C$_{60}$-based nanowires even at low temperatures.