True nanocable assemblies with insulating BN nanotube sheaths and conducting Cu nanowire cores

Density functional theory (DFT) investigations on nanocable models comprised of BN nanotubes filled with close-packed Cu nanowires showed that the interactions between these components are weak. The electronic band structures of the BN/Cu nanocables are superposition of the electronic bands of the isolated individual systems, and therefore, electronic transport will occur in the inner Cu nanowires while outer BN nanotubes act as insulating sheaths.