Signatures of band-like tunnelling in granular nanowires

Abstract

We explore the problem of tunneling through disorderd nanowires, comprised of a random distribution of metallic grains, by means of a many-body model that captures the essential physics of the system. The random configuration of grains gives rise to a smooth band-like set of states, which mediates current flow through the nanowire. Analytical and numerical calculations show the characteristic signature of this unusual band-like transport to be a quadratic variation of the current as a function of the applied voltage (i.e. $I\sim V^2$), a variation that is clearly observed in experimental studies of Pt/C composite nanowires.