Monoatomic Nickel Wires via Columnar Self-Assembly of Tribenzocyclyne Nickel Complexes

Monoatomic metal wires (MAMW) possess unique physical properties and exciting potential applications. In particular, Ni MAMW has been predicted to be ferromagnetic. However, the inherent instability of MAMW due to the Peierls distortion phenomenon renders its fabrication and isolation extremely difficult. Here we fabricate monatomic Ni MAMW through the columnar self-assembly of tribenzocyclyne (TBC) derivatives. Three types of Ni MAMWs have been constructed: MAMW I, II and III with average Ni-Ni distances of 0.480, 0.342, and 0.336 nm, which were found to be diamagnetic. The Peierls distortions were absent when three H-bonds were installed on each TBC unit, giving insight into the energy level required to overcome Peierls distortions. These results not only enriched the methods for the fabrication of MAMWs but also are of value to understand the magnetic properties of MAMWs.