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Researchers using a beam of electrons, have created a thin, flexible metallic wire that is as thin as three atoms. The developed nanoscale wire could be used to create paper-thin electronic devices. 

One of the best-known monolayer materials is graphene which is also considered as a future alternative to silicon. However, despite its wonderful qualities, scientists have had trouble using it practically in electronic circuits. This might be a reason for a surge in popularity of another family of materials called transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) that has also been used in this research. 

TMDCs naturally occur as monolayers and are made of using molybdenum or tungsten along with sulphur or selenium. Molybdenum disulfide is one of the most popular member of the family which is commonly used as a solid lubricant.

Prior, using TMDCs, researchers have been able to create transistors and flash memory gates. The present research might help scientist create nanoscale wires that could be using in connecting these devices in the near future. 

Junhao Lin, a Vanderbilt University Ph.D. student who conducted the research along with other colleagues said the technique can also be applied in designing circuits. 

"Junhao used a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) that is capable of focusing a beam of electrons down to a width of half an angstrom (about half the size of an atom) and aims this beam with exquisite precision," Wu Zhou, who is Lin's mentor, said in a news release.

 "This will likely stimulate a huge research interest in monolayer circuit design," Lin said. "Because this technique uses electron irradiation, it can in principle be applicable to any kind of electron-based instrument, such as electron-beam lithography."

The study is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.