Work functions of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Work functions of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were studied by means of photoemission electron microscopy. Work function differences between the nanotubes were clearly observed in secondary electron images. The work functions of 93 SWNTs were found to range within 0.6eV, but most distributed in a much narrower energy range of 0.2eV. The work functions of single-walled nanotubes do not seem to have large structural dependence.