Ballistic thermal and electrical conductance measurements on individual multiwall carbon nanotubes

Abstract

We report thermal measurements on individual carbon nanotubes using a temperature sensing scanned microscope probe. An arc-grown bundle of multiwalled nanotubes (MWNTs) is mechanically attached to a thermal probe. The heat flow down individual MWNTs is recorded as a function of the temperature difference across them. Simultaneous measurements of thermal and electrical conductance are recorded. The size of the conductance steps observed at room temperature and the correlation between electrical and thermal conductance steps are discussed and we present evidence for ballistic transport of both phonons and electrons in these tubes.