Multishell Carrier Transport in Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Author

Agrawal, Saurabh ; Raghuveer, Makala S. ; Ramprasad, Rampi ; Ramanath, Ganapathiraman

Author_Institution

Rensselaer Polytech. Inst., Troy

Volume

6

Issue

6

fYear

2007

Firstpage

722

Lastpage

726

Abstract

Understanding carrier transport in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their networks is important for harnessing CNTs for device applications. Here, we report multishell carrier transport in individual multiwalled CNTs, and films of randomly dispersed multiwalled CNTs, as a function of electric field and temperature. Electrical measurements and first-principles density functional theory calculations indicate transport across CNT shells. Intershell conduction occurs across an energy barrier range of 60-250 meV in individual CNTs, and ~ 60 meV in CNT networks. In both cases, the conductance behavior can be explained based upon field-enhanced carrier injection and defect-enhanced transport, as described by the Poole-Frenkel model.

Keywords

Poole-Frenkel effect; ab initio calculations; carbon nanotubes; carrier mobility; charge injection; density functional theory; disperse systems; electrical conductivity; noncrystalline defects; thin films; C; Poole-Frenkel model; defect-enhanced transport; energy barrier; field-enhanced carrier injection; first-principles density functional theory; intershell conduction; multishell carrier transport; multiwalled carbon nanotubes; randomly dispersed multiwalled CNTs films; Carbon Nanotubes; Carbon nanotubes; Electrical Characteristics; Multishell Conduction; electrical characteristics; multishell conduction;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Nanotechnology, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1536-125X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TNANO.2007.907798

Filename

4359122