Field emission from non-uniform carbon nanotube arrays

Nanoscale Res Lett. 2013 Jul 10;8(1):319. doi: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-319.

Abstract

Regular arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are frequently used in studies on field emission. However, non-uniformities are always present like dispersions in height, radius, and position. In this report, we describe the effect of these non-uniformities in the overall emission current by simulation. We show that non-uniform arrays can be modeled as a perfect array multiplied by a factor that is a function of the CNTs spacing.