We present in situ ultra-high vacuum measurements of the resistivity ρ of self-assembled endotaxial FeSi2 nanowires (NWs) on Si(110) using a variable-spacing two-point method with a moveable scanning tunneling microscope tip and fixed contact pad. The resistivity at room temperature was found to be nearly constant down to NW width W = 4 nm, but rose sharply to nearly double the bulk value at W = 3 nm. These data are not well-fit by a simple Fuch-Sondheimer model for boundary scattering, suggesting that other factors, possibly quantum effects, may be significant at the smallest dimensions. For a NW width of 4 nm, partial oxidation increased ρ by approximately 50%, while cooling from 300 K to 150 K decreased ρ by approximately 10%. The relative insensitivity of ρ to NW size or oxidation or cooling is attributed to a high concentration of vacancies in the FeSi2 structure, with a correspondingly short length for inelastic electron scattering, which obscures boundary scattering except in the smallest NWs. It is remarkable that the vacancy concentration persists in very small structures.

This article presents and analyzes a newly developed diagnostic tool—the Molecular Randomness Concept Inventory—to assess undergraduate students’ understanding of randomness at the molecular level. Results from an undergraduate classroom study and think-aloud interviews revealed valid and reliable estimations of students’ conceptual understanding.