Pulling nanowires from salt

Nano Letters 9, 2295 (2009), 10.1021/nl9004805, http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/May/26050903.asp, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/science/07obsalt.html, http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/45132/title/Salt_stretches_in..., http://www.sandia.gov/LabNews/090605.html, http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17374-salt-crystals-reveal-surpris..., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGcFCD8E7o8

Superplastic nanowires were formed by touching the NaCl(100) surface with a Au tip in a transmission electron microscope. The nanowires
were stretched e2.2 μm, or 280%, and bent >90° upon compression, when showered with the electron beam. More surprisingly, no dislocations
were observable during the elongation due to fast diffusion. Mechanical measurements in humid atmospheres suggest that salt nanowires
also form in ambient environments.