Credit: AM. CHEM. SOC.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 13465–13470 (2008)

Metal wires one atom thick are ideal for exploring quantum effects in electronics and might one day supply ultrasensitive chemical sensors. But first they must be prevented from adsorbing molecules indiscriminately from their surroundings. Jean Christophe Lacroix and his co-workers at Paris Diderot University in France believe they have succeeded in doing this by giving atomic wires a protective 'jacket'.

Lacroix and his team grew copper wires that are one atom thick at the thinnest point. When they generated these wires in a solution of tubular cyclodextrin molecules, many of the wires showed little fluctuation in conductance compared with those generated in pure water. Moreover, the wires in solution were disrupted little by an organic salt that breaks wires in pure water.

Other tests imply, but have not yet proved, that the cyclodextrins are threaded around the wires (illustrated).