METALLIC NANOWIRE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

摘要

A nanowire consisting only of a metal and having a size as large as 1 mu m or longer in terms of average length, which has not been attainable so far; and a process for producing the nanowire. The process for producing a metallic nanowire comprises reducing nanofibers made of a metal/peptide lipid composite formed from metal ions and a bola-form peptide lipid represented by the general formula: (I) (wherein Val represents a valine residue; m is 1 to 3; and n is 6 to 18), with a reducing agent in an amount of 5 to 10 equivalents to the bola-form peptide lipid. The metallic nanowire has an average diameter of 10 to 20 nm and an average length of 1 mu m or larger. The metal is preferably copper.