A one-step approach for the fabrication of polymer and metal nanowires

The fabrication of one-dimensional (1D) polymer and metal nanowires were obtained in a one-step mechanical approach. This approach is based on a controlled chattering process at the cutting edge of an oscillating diamond knife to conduct wavy cutting. Consecutive shallow wavy cuttings at different phases yield uniform ultra-long nanowire products with controlled lateral dimensions in the range of sub-100 nanometers to micrometers. The morphologies and lateral dimensions of the nanowires can be tuned through phase alignment, cutting depth and cutting speed, as demonstrated in this paper through examples of its application to polymethyl methacrylate, aluminum and copper. This facile one-step 'cutting-edge' method is robust, clean, involves no chemicals, and can be readily scaled up with precision machining for long-range and large-area fabrications.