Structures of Cylindrical Ultrathin Copper Nanowires

To investigate cylindrical ultrathin copper nanowires, we performed atomistic simulations using the steepest descent method. The stable structures of the cylindrical ultrathin copper nanowires were multi-shell packs composed of coaxial cylindrical shells with {111}-like surfaces. Semiclassical orbits in a circle and circular rolling of a triangular network could explain the structures of the cylindrical ultrathin multi-shell copper nanowires. A calculation of the angular correlation function and the radial distribution function for nanowires showed that the structural properties of nanowires became closer to those of the bulk with increasing nanowire diameter.