Abstract
Various methods have been proposed for fabricating nanocoils in order to extend the range of elements for building nanodevices. Most of these methods are based on self-assembly technique. We have previously demonstrated an alternative method in which a straight nanowire is bent by depositing a thin film on the nanowire. The bending is due to the misfit strain of the coated film. However, nanocoil formation using this method is highly inefficient. In this study, we developed an advanced method in which the helical formation of coated nanowires takes place because of the viscous flow of the core material, i.e., the nanowires, and the misfit strain of the coating film. When the melting temperature of the nanowire material is lower than that of the coating, elevating the temperature induces a viscous flow, i.e., creep, which only occurs in the nanowire. The creep releases the constraint of the nanowire on elastic bending due to film strain.
