Carbon Nanotubes: Preparation, Characterization and Field Emission

摘要

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes (multi-walled and single-wall) and their structural characterization are briefly reviewed in the first part of this report. Field emission microscopy (FEM) study of various types of nanotubes and application of nanotubes to field emission displays are then presented. Finally, recent ultrahigh vacuum FEM of capped nanotubes are presented, by which carbon pentagon rings at a nanotube tip were for the first time observed, and which revealed that for capped nanotubes with clean surfaces the most pronounced electron emission occurs from the pentagons.