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Identical hard spheres in cylindrical confinement exhibit a rich variety of densest-packed columnar structures. Such structures, which generally vary with the corresponding cylinder-to-sphere diameter ratio  D , serve as structural models for a variety of experimental systems at the micro- or nano-scale. In this research, the electrical conductivity as a function of  D  has been studied for four different types of such columnar structures. It was found that, for increasing  D , the electrical conductivity of each type of structures decreases monotonously, as a result of the system’s resistive components becoming more densely packed along the long axis of the cylindrical space. However, there exists a discontinuous rise in the system’s electrical conductivity at    D  =  1  +    3    /  2    (discontinuous zigzag-to-single-helix transition) and  D  = 2 (discontinuous double-helix-to-double-helix transition), respectively, as a result of the establishment of additional conducting paths upon an abrupt increase in the number of inter-particle contacts. This is not the case for the continuous single-helix-to-double-helix transition at    D  =  1  +  4    3    /  7   . The results, which tell us how the system’s electrical conductivity can be tuned through a variation of  D , could serve as a guide for the development of quasi-one-dimensional materials with a structurally tunable electrical conductivity.

Densest-Packed Columnar Structures of Hard Spheres: An Investigation of the Structural Dependence of Electrical Conductivity