Mechanical self-organization of Pt nanocoil network

Abstract Helical-structured metallic nanocoils (NCs) may have special interactions with electromagnetic waves and hence attract considerable attention. Although several fabrication methods for metallic NCs have been reported, it is still challenging to obtain a network of well-shaped metallic NCs. This paper reports a novel and simple approach to fabricate metallic NC network. We show that well-shaped Pt NCs with symmetrical left- and right-handed segments can be formed through a spontaneous progress of mechanical deformation. The mechanisms of the driving force for the self-organization, formation of helical chirality balance, and shape control are demonstrated.