In situ electrical measurements of polytypic silver nanowires

Novel 4H structure silver nanowires (4H-AgNWs) have been reported to coexist with the usual face-centered cubic (FCC) ones. Here we report the electrical properties of these polytypic AgNWs for the first time. AgNWs with either 4H or FCC structures in the diameter range of 20–80 nm were measured in situ inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Both kinds of AgNW in the diameter range show metallic conductance. The average resistivity of the 4H-AgNWs is 19.9 μΩ cm, comparable to the 11.9 μΩ cm of the FCC-AgNWs. The failure current density can be up to ∼10⁸ A cm⁻² for both 4H-and FCC-AgNWs. The maximum stable current density (MSCD) is introduced to estimate the AgNWs' current-carrying ability, which shows diameter-dependence with a peak around 34 nm in diameter. It is attributed to fast annihilation of the current-induced vacancies and the enhanced surface scattering. Our investigations also suggest that the magnetic field of the electromagnetic lens may also introduce some influence on the measurements inside the TEM.