Structural change at the carbon-nanotube tip by field emission

Journal Article · Mon Jun 04 04:00:00 EDT 2001 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1376149· OSTI ID:40203198

Kuzumaki, Toru; Takamura, Yuzuru; Ichinose, Hideki; Horiike, Yasuhiro

Carbon-nanotube tips are plastically deformed during field emission. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and structural simulations suggest that the deformed structure of the closed nanotube is explained by heterogeneous nucleation of the pentagonal and heptagonal carbon ring pairs, and that of the opened one is represented by sp{sup 3}-like line defects in the hexagonal carbon network. It is considered that the changing of the inclination of the Fowler{endash}Nordheim plots corresponds to the structural change in which a tip becomes sharp. The field ion microscope image and the corresponding field-emission pattern suggest that the electron emission from a closed nanotube is not necessarily from pentagonal carbon rings, but from the protrudent carbon network sites on the tip. {copyright} 2001 American Institute of Physics.

• Sponsoring Organization: (US)
• OSTI ID: 40203198
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 23 Vol. 78; ISSN 0003-6951
• Publisher: The American Physical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CARBON
ELECTRON EMISSION
FIELD EMISSION
INCLINATION
ION MICROSCOPES
LINE DEFECTS
NUCLEATION
PHYSICS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY