FIELD-EMISSION FROM SINGLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBE FILMS

We report on the field emission properties of single-wall carbon nanot ube films, with emphasis on current-versus-voltage (I-V) characteristi cs and current stability, The films are excellent field emitters, yiel ding current densities higher than 10 mA cm(-2) with operating voltage s that are far lower than for other film emitters, but show a signific ant degradation of their performances with time. The observed deviatio ns from the Fowler-Nordheim behavior in the I-V characteristics point to the presence of a nonmetallic density of states at the tip of the n anotubes. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.