Nanowires and nanoribbons of charge-density-wave conductor NbSe3

We report synthesis of nanowires and nanoribbons of the charge-density-wave conductor NbSe3 through direct reaction of Nb and Se powders. The transverse dimension of the obtained nanostructures, as identified with scanning/transmission electron microscopy, ranges from 20 to 700 nm. X-ray and selected area electron diffraction analyses indicate that these nanowires and nanoribbons are single crystalline. Four-probe resistivity measurements confirm the expected charge-density-wave transitions, and furthermore, we find significant enhancement in the depinning threshold fields, which we attribute to a confinement effect.