Percolation, self-organized criticality, and electrical instability in carbon nanostructures

The processes of avalanche formation, percolation, and electrical instability have been investigated experimentally using multi-walled and single-walled carbon nanotubes as an example. The performed investigations are based on the comparison of electrical conductivity dynamics in classical experiments, such as the “sand heap,” the two-dimensional grid of resistances with a stochastic node blocking, and the nanosecond percolation in a mode of electrical instability in nanotube tangles/granules. The regularities of mechanisms are revealed and the general concept is formulated.