For the first time, scientists in China have broken the synthetic length of a “metal wire” with a single atomic diameter above the micron level. Scaled in the same proportion as diameter and length, this is equivalent to a 4-meter household copper wire. Li Kuo's team at the Beijing High Pressure Research Center innovatively applied a new high-pressure solid-phase topological polymerization strategy to synthesize carbon-coated monometallic atomic chains with micron length, atomic thickness, and stable structure for the first time in the world. The results were published in the international academic journal “Science” on August 21.

For the first time, scientists in China have broken the synthetic length of a “metal wire” with a single atomic diameter above the micron level. Scaled in the same proportion as diameter and length, this is equivalent to a 4-meter household copper wire. Li Kuo's team at the Beijing High Pressure Research Center innovatively applied a new high-pressure solid-phase topological polymerization strategy to synthesize carbon-coated monometallic atomic chains with micron length, atomic thickness, and stable structure for the first time in the world. The results were published in the international academic journal “Science” on August 21.