Electrical transport properties of individual disordered multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

The electrical transport properties of individual disordered multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), synthesized with the floating catalyst method, have been investigated. The resistivity of such disordered MWCNTs shows T1∕2 dependence over a temperature range of 4.2–263K. The experimental finding can be interpreted in terms of Al’tshuler-Aronov model [Solid State Commun. 30, 115 (1979); Sov. Phys. JETP 50, 968 (1979); Pis’ma. Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 27, 700 (1978)], in which strong electron-electron interaction leads to a Coulomb gap in the density of electronic states at the Fermi level. Such a wide fitting range of temperature for T1∕2 dependence has never been reported for other materials, implying an extremely short carrier scattering time of the order of femtoseconds.