Researchers reveal why nanowires stick to each other

Nanowires, used in sensors, transistors, optoelectronic devices and other systems that require subatomic preciseness, like to stick together. Untangling electrical wires can be a difficult task—imagine trying to separate out wires 1/1000 the width of a human hair. The self-attraction of nanowires has been a major problem for quality and efficient bulk fabrication, with the potential to catastrophically short-circuit nanowire-based devices, but researchers in China have now revealed why the components cling to one each other.