Persistent Metallic Behavior of Thin Bismuth Whiskers

The electrical resistance of Bi and Bi-6 at.% Sb whiskers has been measured. Sample diameters were as low as 140 nm, lengths as large as 1.5 mm, and residual resistances as high as 165 kΩ. Down to temperatures of 0.4 K, metallic behavior persists; the resistance $R$ decreases with decreasing temperature $T$ in contrast to other systems in which electron localization is invoked to explain negative $\frac{\mathrm{dR}}{\mathrm{dT}}\text{'}\mathrm{s}$.