Synergistic effect between electromigration and Joule heating as driven force to the synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures

Electromigration is often blamed for conduction failures in electrical wires, as it leads to the formation of voids and hillocks when high-density electrical currents pass through metallic conductors. However, the ion movement involved in this phenomenon can be harnessed to promote the nucleation of low-dimensional structures on the wire surface, leveraging the Joule heating that increases the local wire temperature. In this work, a multiphysics approach is presented to simulate the effects of high-electric currents in molybdenum and tungsten wires, aiming to shed light on the synthesis of and nanostructures via resistive heating. These simulations require temperature-dependent parameters as inputs, including density, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat. Simulation results have been validated by experiments, demonstrating the successful production of high-quality and nanostructures. Thus, the model serves as a benchmark for the scalable and straightforward synthesis of various metal oxide nanomaterials from metallic wires. Joule heating presents a novel, fast, and simple method for the synthesis of low-dimensional oxides. However, the underlying electromigration mechanism is not yet fully understood. To address this, we developed temperature-dependent equations to ensure the simulations closely reflect the real. Key parameter behavior offers insight into how electromigration affects materials properties. • Advanced modeling characterization to study the behavior of Mo and W during Joule heating. • COMSOL simulations replicate the experimental synthesis process by Joule heating. • Novel temperature-dependent physical properties of Mo and W metals have been proposed. • Current density is a critical factor to develop nucleation points for oxide materials synthesis.