Synthesis and characterization of ultra-long straight carbon wires

•The carbon wires have large size with 2.6 µm in diameter and more than 1 cm in length.•The carbon wires with multilayer structure characterized by SEM and TEM.•Raman spectrum shows two distinct Raman peaks of carbon materials.•The carbon wires with typical resistance and can be served as micro electrode.

Ultra-long straight carbon wires with few microns in diameter and centimeters in length were synthesized in large scale through a controllable one-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The ratio of axial length to diameter more than 1000:1. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images prove the layered structure surrounding the wire center, and the energy dispersive spectra (EDS) confirm the main component of the as-obtained carbon wires is carbon. Room temperature Raman spectrum presents two distinct Raman peaks of 1351 cm−1 (D band) and 1586 cm−1(G band), which is consistent with carbon crystalline structures. I-V curves exhibit typical resistance characteristic, which can be used as electronic polar or mechanic probe to operate nanostructures.