Molding of nanowires spurs unanticipated phases

Sometimes to make big breakthroughs, you have to start very small – from nanowires. Scientists can get the most out of certain quantum materials by fabricating nanoscale structures that generate new properties at the material’s surfaces and edges. Cornell researchers used the relatively straightforward thermomechanical nanomolding to create single-crystalline nanowires that can enable metastable phases that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with conventional methods.