Effects on the field emission properties by variation in surface morphology of patterned photosensitive carbon nanotube paste using organic solvent

Photosensitive carbon nanotube (CNT) paste was prepared by 3-roll milling of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), UV-sensitive binder solution, and Ag as filler additives. Arrays of MWNT dots with a diode structure were fabricated by a combination of screen printing method and photolithography using these paste, and acetone utilized as the developer. The MWNT dots were well-defined and the organic binder materials in the dots were partially removed. The MWNT film without a heat treatment showed a high current density of 1.35 mA/cm² at 3.25 V/μm and low turn-on field of 2.2 V/μm at 100 μA/cm². Acetone can be used as an efficient developer to form patterns and to remove the organic residues in patterns, simultaneously.     

Fabrication and electrochemical properties of free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube film electrodes

An easily manipulative approach was presented to fabricate electrodes using free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films grown directly by chemical vapor deposition.Electrochemical properties of the electrodes were investigated.In comparison with the post-deposited SWCNT papers,the directly grown SWCNT film electrodes manifested enhanced electrochemical properties and sensitivity of sensors as well as excellent electrocatalytic activities.A transition from macroelectrode to nanoelectrode behaviours was observed with the increase of scan rate.The heat treatment of the SWCNT film electrodes increased the current signals of electrochemical analyser and background current,because the heat-treatment of the SWCNTs in air could create more oxide defects on the walls of the SWCNTs and make the surfaces of SWCNTs more hydrophilic.The excellent electrochemical properties of the directly grown and heat-treated free-standing SWCNT film electrodes show the potentials in biological and electrocatalytic applications.     

Modification of interface structure and contact resistance between a carbon nanotube and a gold electrode by local melting

The electrical connection between a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and a gold electrode on applying an electric current was studied by performing in situ transmission electron microscopy observations while simultaneous measuring the bias voltage and the electric current. The tip of the MWNT was brought into contact with the gold surface. When a current density of ∼10⁸ A/cm² flowed through the contact, the gold surface started to melt along the surface of the MWNT tip due to Joule heating. At about twice the current density, a drastic change was observed in the structure of the gold surface in the contact region. This structural change increased the contact area between the MWNT tip and gold, which reduced the electrical contact resistance.     

碳纳米管氧化成环制备研究

采用化学气相沉积方法制备的碳纳米管，用酸溶液进行弱氧化处理，经适当温度在大气中烧 灼后碳纳米管发生弯曲，在样品中出现大量的环状结构. 利用原子力显微镜、透射电子显微 镜和扫描电子显微镜对典型环直径为300 nm的碳纳米管环进行了表征. 烧灼温度和烧灼时间 对环的结构和产率有重要的影响. 实验数据统计结果表明，烧灼温度在510—530℃区间内 可得到超过40%的碳纳米管环产率，并且烧灼时间延长到120 min有利于提高碳纳米管环的产 率. 在加热情况下，碳纳米管端结合的羧基官能团脱水成酯，导致弯曲的碳纳米管结合成环 . 关键词： 碳纳米管环 化学气相沉积     

Fabrication and electrical properties of a carbon nanotube quantum dot

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized by pyrolyzing methane (CH₄) at a temperature of 900℃ on SiO₂ substrates pre-coated with iron nano-particles. Electrical contacts were fabricated onto one of the SWNTs by using an electron beam lithography process. Coulomb blockade and single-electron tunnelling characters were found at low temperatures, indicating that the SWNT in-between the electrodes forms a quantum dot. It is found that the Coulomb gap of the quantum dot is about 8.57 meV, and the factor \alpha , which converts the gate voltage to the true electrostatic potential shift, is around 200 for this device.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence of luminol at a carbon nanotube-perfluorosulfonate polymer (Nafion) modified gold electrode

A multi-wall carbon nanotube/Nafion modified gold electrode (CNT/Nafion/GE) was fabricated by casting the composite film on the electrode surface. Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of luminol at the modified gold electrode was studied under conventional cyclic voltammetry in alkaline Na₂CO₃-NaHCO₃ buffer solution. Three ECL peaks were obtained. The most strong ECL peak (ECL-1) was enhanced about 20-fold at the CNT/Nafion modified gold electrode compared with that at the bare gold electrode. The emitter of all the ECL peaks was indentified as 3-aminophthalate. The intensities of ECL peaks were found to depend on the ratio of CNT/Nafion, the electrolytes, the pH, and the presence of O₂ and N₂. The mechanisms of all ECL peaks have been proposed. The results indicate that carbon nanotubes have a significantly catalytic effect on luminol ECL, which might further expand the analytical application of nanomaterial-modified electrode in the field of electrogenerated chemiluminescence.     

Effect of interaction between AC electric field and phonon oscillation of metal cluster on tip-growth of carbon nanotube

The paper reports effect of interaction between AC electric field and metal cluster sitting at tip end of the carbon nanotube (CNT) on CNT tip-growth in CVD theoretically. For this purpose, a theoretical model based on phonon oscillations of the metal catalyst and influence of AC electric field on these oscillations is presented. Results show that there is an optimum AC electric field which optimizes growth of ultra-long CNTs. Then it is demonstrated that, in comparison with CNTs in the absence of field, CNTs under optimum electric field grow more. In addition, relation between optimum temperature and amplitude of AC electric field is investigated and it is shown that increasing electric field leads to higher optimum temperature. Finally, Investigation of effect of catalyst type on optimum electric field demonstrates the optimum field for various catalysts is different due to their different characteristics including van der Waals interaction with carbon, atomic mass and number of free charge carriers per each atom. All results are discussed and interpreted.     

接触电阻对碳纳米管场发射的影响

基于改进的悬浮球模型,计算了碳纳米管和衬底间的接触电阻存在时碳纳米管顶端的局域电场, 并结合Fowler-Nordheim (F-N)场发射规律研究了接触电阻对碳纳米管场发射的影响.研究表明,接触电阻的存在,在高电场区域接触电阻抑制了碳纳米管的电子场发射,导致在高电场区域出现电流饱和及FN直线偏折现象.其原因可归结为接触电阻使得在碳纳米管顶端的局域电场相对于没有接触电阻时相对地减少. 关键词： 碳纳米管 场发射 接触电阻 电流饱和     

Imaging characterization of carbon nanotube tips modified using a focused ion beam

A carbon nanotube (CNT) tip, which assembled on the sharp end of a Si tip by dielectrophoresis, was structurally modified using focused ion beam (FIB). We described the imaging characterization of the FIB-modified CNT tip in noncontact AFM mode in terms of wear, deep trench accessibility, and imaging resolution. Compared to a conventional Si tip, the FIB-modified CNT tip was superior, especially for prolonged scanning over 10 h. We conclude that modified CNT tips have the potential to obtain high-quality images of nanoscale structures.     

Sonochemical production of a carbon nanotube

Sonochemical production of a carbon nanotube has been studied. The carbon nanotube is produced by applying ultrasound to liquid chlorobenzene with ZnCl₂ particles and to o-dichlorobenzene with ZnCl₂ and Zn particles. It is considered that the polymer and the disordered carbon, which are formed by cavitational collapse in homogeneous liquid, are annealed by the inter-particle collision induced by the turbulent flow and shockwaves.     

Laser surface treatment of screen-printed carbon nanotube emitters for enhanced field emission

This paper investigates the surface treatment of screen-printed carbon nanotube (CNT) emitters using a 248 nm (KrF) excimer laser. The field emission characteristics of the CNT emitters are measured following irradiation using laser fluences ranging from 80 to 400 mJ/cm². The results show that the turn-on electric field, the current density, and the distribution of the emission sites are highly dependent on the value of the laser fluence and are optimized at a fluence of 150 mJ/cm². Two distinct laser fluence regimes are identified. In the low fluence regime, i.e. 80-150 mJ/cm², the surface treatment process is dominated by a photo ablation mechanism, which results in the gradual removal of the binding material from the cathode surface and leads to an improvement in the emission characteristics of the CNT cathodes with an increasing fluence. However, in the high fluence regime, i.e. 150-400 mJ/cm², the thermal ablation mechanism dominates; resulting in a removal of the CNTs from the cathode surface and a subsequent degradation in the emission characteristics.     

大电流密度碳纳米管场致发射阴极阵列的研制

 设计了一种由TiN，Al，Fe和牺牲层构成的堆栈式催化剂层结构，采用微波等离子体化学气相沉积法实现碳纳米管阵列高速笔直生长。SEM和TEM结果表明，生长出来的碳纳米管为典型的多壁碳纳米管，长度和直径均匀，排列整齐并垂直于基底，生长速率大于5 μm/min，晶格缺陷少。场致发射测试结果表明：碳纳米管的发射阵列具有良好的电流发射稳定性，最大电流密度大于6 A/cm2。紫外光电子能谱法（UPS）测试出碳纳米管的功函数为4.59 eV，则相应的场致发射陈列的场增强因子大于1 400。     

外加电场作用下碳纳米管结构稳定性及结构修饰研究

利用外加电场的方法，对多壁碳纳米管的结构稳定性进行了研究.结果表明当场强达到30 V/nm时，碳纳米管端部的结构失稳，端部碳原子间的π键被打开，外部原子开始进入到碳纳米管的结构中.利用电子显微镜作为纳米加工仪器，通过外加电场的方法在多壁碳纳米管的端部制备了非晶态碳纳米线，形成碳纳米管-纳米线复合结构.碳纳米管和纳米线结合处的σ键作为绝缘界面，形成了电子输运的势垒.     

High performance field emission and Nottingham effect observed from carbon nanotube yarn

Vertically aligned CNTs were synthesized on a four inch wafer, followed by the preparation of a CNT yarn. The yarn emitter was found to have an extremely high field enhancement factor, which was confirmed to have originated from multi-stage effect. In addition to superb field emission characteristics, the energy exchange during field emission, called Nottingham effect, was observed from the CNT yarn emitter. A CNT yarn was attached to the thermistor whose resistance depends on temperature. Then, the change of resistance was monitored during the field emission, which enabled us to calculate the energy exchange. It was found that the observed heating originated from both Nottingham and Joule heating. Nottingham heating was dominant at low current region while Joule heating became larger contribution at high current region. Very large Nottingham region of up to 33.35 mA was obtained, which is due presumably to the high performance field emission characteristics of a CNT yarn. This is believed to be an important observation for developing reliable field emission devices with suppressed Joule heating effect.     

Modulation of electric field on persistent current of carbon nanotubes

We use tight-binding model including curvature effects to study the effect of transverse electric field on the persistent currents of armchair and zigzag carbon nanotubes (ACNTs and ZCNTs) threaded by longitudinal magnetic field. With increasing field strength, ZCNTs could undergo zero-gap transitions, whereas metallic ACNTs are not affected. The current amplitude, without electric field, in a (m,m$m,m$) ACNT is inversely proportional to m²$m^2$. However, for a (m,0$m,0$) ZCNT, it is determined by the modulus of m with respect to three. Electric field could enhance the current amplitude of an ACNT, but could not change its magnetism. As for a ZCNT, both electric-field-distorted electronic states and zero-gap transitions determine a change in magnetism that is pronouncedly related with nanotube's geometry.     

Effect of electric field on the electrical conductivity of defected carbon nanotube: Multifractal properties of the wavefunctions

A theoretical analysis of controllable metal–insulator transition is performed by carrying out a quantum chaos analysis for a single-walled carbon nanotube which is affected by topological Stone–Wales defect. Nanotubes have recently attracted attention as promising materials for flexible nanoelectronic devices. Individual topological Stone–Wales defects have been identified experimentally in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene. The findings reveal that defected CNT displays a gradual crossover from metal to insulator phase in a longitudinal electric field. By determining the threshold value of the electric field for metal–insulator transition, CNT may be used as a switch in electronic devices. Our results are obtained by calculating the singularity spectrum of a nearest-neighbor tight-binding model. Also, quantum chaos theory is used for obtaining a detailed understanding of a dynamic phase transition from delocalized states (chaotic) to localized states (Poisson). More interestingly, the appearance of negative differential resistance for pure CNT suggests potential applications in nanoelectronic devices.     

Synthesis, characterization and electrochemical behavior of polypyrrole/carbon nanotube composites using organometallic-functionalized carbon nanotubes

Thorn-like, organometallic-functionalized carbon nanotubes were successfully developed via a novel microwave hydrothermal route. The organometallic complex with methyl orange and iron (III) chloride served as reactive seed template, resulting in the oriented polymerization of pyrrole on the modified carbon nanotubes without the assistance of other oxidants. Morphological and structural characterizations of the carbon nanotube/methyl orange-iron (III) chloride and polypyrrole/carbon nanotube composites were examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical property of the polypyrrole/carbon nanotube composite was elucidated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge. A specific capacitance of 304 F g⁻¹ was obtained within the potential range of −0.5-0.5 V in 1 M KCl solution.     

Light radiation through a transparent cathode plate with single-walled carbon nanotube field emitters

In the conventional carbon nanotube backlight units (CNT-BLUs), light passes through the phosphor-coated anode glass plate, which thus faces closely the thin film transistor (TFT) backplate of a liquid crystal display panel. This configuration makes heat dissipation structurally difficult because light emission and heat generation occur simultaneously at the anode. We propose a novel configuration of a CNT-BLU where the cathode rather than the anode faces the TFT backplate by turning it upside down. In this design, light passes through the transparent cathode glass plate while heating occurs at the anode. We demonstrated a novel design of CNT-BLU by fabricating transparent single-walled CNT field emitters on the cathode and by coating a reflecting metal layer on the anode. This study hopefully provides a clue to solve the anode-heating problem which would be inevitably confronted for high-luminance and large-area CNT-BLUs.     

Optical absorption tunability and local electric field distribution of gold-dielectric-silver three-layered cylindrical nanotube

The effects of inner nanowire radius, shell thickness, the dielectric functions of middle layer and surrounding medium on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of gold-dielectric-silver nanotube are studied based on the quasi-static approximation. Theoretical calculation results show that LSPR of gold-dielectric-silver nanotube and LSPR numbers can be well optimized by adjusting its geometrical parameters. The longer wavelength of $\left|\omega_{-}^{-}\right\rangle$ mode takes place a distinct red-shift with increasing the inner nanowire radius and the thickness of middle dielectric layer, while a blue-shift with increasing outer nanotube thickness. The physical mechanisms are explained based on the plasmon hybridization theory, induced charges and phase retardation. In addition, the effects of middle dielectric function and surrounding medium on LSPR, and the local electric field factor are also reported. Our study provides the potential applications of gold-dielectric-silver nanotube in biological tissues, sensor and related regions.     

Nonlinear resonances of a single-wall carbon nanotube cantilever

The dynamics of an electrostatically actuated carbon nanotube (CNT) cantilever are discussed by theoretical and numerical approaches. Electrostatic and intermolecular forces between the single-walled CNT and a graphene electrode are considered. The CNT cantilever is analyzed by the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, including its geometric and inertial nonlinearities, and a one-mode projection based on the Galerkin approximation and numerical integration. Static pull-in and pull-out behaviors are adequately represented by an asymmetric two-well potential with the total potential energy consisting of the CNT elastic energy, electrostatic energy, and the Lennard-Jones potential energy. Nonlinear dynamics of the cantilever are simulated under DC and AC voltage excitations and examined in the frequency and time domains. Under AC-only excitation, a superharmonic resonance of order 2 occurs near half of the primary frequency. Under both DC and AC loads, the cantilever exhibits linear and nonlinear primary and secondary resonances depending on the strength of the excitation voltages. In addition, the cantilever has dynamic instabilities such as periodic or chaotic tapping motions, with a variation of excitation frequency at the resonance branches. High electrostatic excitation leads to complex nonlinear responses such as softening, multiple stability changes at saddle nodes, or period-doubling bifurcation points in the primary and secondary resonance branches.