title: Electron field emission characteristics and field evaporation of a single carbon nanotube.
abstract: Direct transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations of the field emission and evaporation process of emitting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) shown that the tip structure of the CNT is in general composed of irregular shaped graphitic sheets which extend typically more than 10 nm from the end of the CNT. It is found that the irregular shaped graphitic sheets at the tip of the CNT may greatly enhance the field emission characteristics of the CNT when compared with that having an ideal circular edge. The field evaporation of the CNT proceeds typically via the removal of the irregular shaped graphitic sheets from the tip of the CNT, and field emission characteristics of a CNT depend far more sensitively on the tip structure than on the geometric length of the CNT.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory on the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L-M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon