STM image of a Fe nanowire deposited on a molecular Cu₃N network. The nanowires form in grooves in the network. Because the Fe atom occupation is asymmetric at the crests, the nanowires exhibit a minimum separation. See also Synopsis in Physics.

From the article:

Strain Relief Guided Growth of Atomic Nanowires in a ${\mathrm{Cu}}_3\mathbf{N}\mathrm{\text{−}}\mathrm{Cu}(110)$ Molecular Network
X.-D. Ma, D. I. Bazhanov, O. Fruchart, F. Yildiz, T. Yokoyama, M. Przybylski, V. S. Stepanyuk, W. Hergert, and J. Kirschner
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 205503 (2009)

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