Extracting large field-emission currents from individual single-walled carb
on nanotubes degrades their current-voltage behavior and changes the nanotu
be structure. Field-emission microscopy observations and field-emission cur
rent-voltage measurements revealed behavior characteristic of local heating
, followed by thermally assisted field evaporation of the atoms on the end
of the nanotube, and subsequent restructuring of the cap. Field evaporation
of carbon was found to result in reduction of the length of the tube witho
ut catastrophic arcing events. This process defines the upper limit for the
field-emission current that can be obtained from an individual single-wall
ed nanotube. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.